Finding the Light
by GrapefruitSpritzer
Summary: An alternate ending to my fic Finding Home Again. Estelle already knows that not all horror stories are fiction - a close call with the monsters deep within the mines proved that much. But when dark magic and a decades-old grudge comes into play, will she be able to protect the life she has carved out for herself?
1. Disappearance

_[A/N]_ _This story diverges from Finding Home Again at Chapter 26: Unexpected Magic, replacing that chapter and going totally off the rails. This was born of an idea I couldn't shake while writing the main fic, and I'm having a lot of fun writing it so strap in kids it's about to get supernatural up in here! Hope you enjoy!_

-x-

When they finally reached a turnoff, the blue glow of a torch lighting their path once more, Estelle reluctantly let go of Sebastian's hand.

"Sorry for being such a baby back there," she said, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Now that she was back in the light, she felt like an idiot for being so afraid.

"Don't be. Honestly I was a little creeped out too."

That made her smile. "I won't tell anyone if you don't."

"Deal."

They went through the maze together, keeping an eye out for the illusive golden pumpkin. The rest of the scares were tame in comparison – fake bugs, a TV playing static, tombstones. Standard haunted house shit. It was strange to her that there was such a disparity in the level of horror from one section of the maze to the next. The complete darkness had been utterly terrifying, with corridors that seemed to stretch way longer than one side of the park to the other...and now there were rubber spiders? It just felt off somehow.

They had covered a good portion of the maze and were discussing where to go next when they ran into Alex trying to climb one of the walls – and failing miserably.

"Hey Alex. Uh...what are you doing?" Estelle asked curiously.

He turned, face red and breathless from exertion. "Oh, hey Stelle," he said, pausing to look her up and down. "Wow, you look stupid hot."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not? But thanks I guess," she said with a little laugh.

He grinned. "Definitely a compliment. Anyway, I'm trying to find a way onto that ledge," he said, pointing to an overhang above them. "There's something weird up there but I can't figure out how to get to it."

Estelle glanced at Sebastian. "Maybe it's the pumpkin?"

He shrugged without even looking up, his gaze fixed on the path forward. She glanced over as well, wondering what he was looking at – but there was nothing there. He was just staring into the distance. Weird.

She brushed it off and took a few steps back, scoping out the ledge for herself. Alex stepped back as well to show her what he saw.

"See look, right there!" he said, leaning close and pointing to direct her gaze.

Estelle squinted, tilting her head until...oh!

It was almost completely hidden, but she definitely saw a flash of gold when the torchlight flickered just right. It had to be the pumpkin – what else would be golden up there?

"That's totally it!" she said excitedly. "But how are are going to get up there? That ledge has to be like 15 feet high."

"Don't know," Alex said, tossing his hands up in defeat. "I've checked all around here for a hidden ladder or something but no dice. And these walls don't have any grips to climb up."

She looked to Sebastian for ideas, but he didn't seem to be paying any attention. What the hell was up with him all of a sudden? He's the one who wanted to find the damn thing in the first place.

"I could probably throw you high enough," Alex mused. "Can you pull yourself up with just your arms?"

"Uh, I can, but fuck that," Estelle said, shaking her head decisively. "My leg literally just healed. I'm not risking a two story fall over a pumpkin."

"Aw, you don't think I can do it?" he said, pouting.

"I don't care if you can do it," she corrected. "And even if I got up there, how would I get down? Hard pass."

"Just jump! I'll catch you."

"Alex, I don't know how many ways I can say absolutely fucking not before it sticks," she said, starting to get annoyed with his persistence.

"There has to be a way around," Sebastian said tersely, cutting off Alex's latest protest. About time he decided to join the conversation.

"Right. So I'm going to go look for it," Estelle said, stepping away from Mr. Amateur Shotput to stand next to Sebastian. "Oh, Haley is waiting for you at the entrance by the way."

Alex groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "What else is new?" he muttered irritably.

She grinned, glancing over her shoulder as she walked away. "Better get going! She's scary when she's pissed!"

When they were halfway down the path and safely out of earshot, Estelle rounded on Sebastian.

"So, wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"What what was all about?" he replied flatly.

"I dunno, your drastic mood swing and total lack of interest in finding the thing we're out here trying to find?"

"I still want to find it. I just don't like that guy."

Estelle gave an exaggerated gasp, covering her mouth and staring at him wide-eyed. "What?! You mean the emo kid doesn't get along with the jock? No fuckin' way!"

That got a reaction. Sebastian shot her an unimpressed look, and she couldn't hold back a giggle.

"Well, either way we know where the pumpkin is now. Any ideas on how to get to it?"

"I could toss you up," he deadpanned.

"Oh, you're hilarious."

The corner of his mouth quirked up, much to Estelle's relief. At least the shitty mood seemed to leave as quickly as it came.

"There has to be a hidden path somewhere," he reiterated. "Alex said there wasn't anything near the pumpkin, and there's no obvious walkway connecting to that ledge, so the entrance has to be sectioned off from the rest of the maze somehow."

"So...what? Just keep an eye out for anything out of place that could be a hidden path?"

"Unless you have a better idea, yeah pretty much."

She did not have a better idea, so they walked along the twisting lanes, checking uneven walls and messing with props to find any clue about how to get to the pumpkin. When they came upon a fake graveyard, she was sure that was going to be where it was. What better hidden entrance than a grave, right?

Estelle was checking the tombstone on the far right when she heard something strange and froze. It sounded like hushed voices, except there was no one else here. Holding her breath, she listened intently until she heard them again – two voices, definitely male, and from...above? She looked up but couldn't see anything past the walls.

"The affairs of mundane folk matter little to me, but the elementals like a chance to see them up close. It is for them that I create this silly maze each year."

Create the maze...so that voice must be the Wizard. Estelle's heart picked up in excitement. If he was above them, the hidden entrance had to be close. But what was he talking about, "the elementals"? What did that even mean?

"Good show, old friend," another voice chimed in. It sounded oddly familiar, though she couldn't place it right away. "Though I think your display has been tampered with this time around," it continued, dropping an octave in apparant concern.

"Yes. I sensed her but could not reverse her spells before the villagers began to arrive. All we can do now is wait, and watch."

 _What the fuck?_

"No harm will come to them, surely?"

"One never knows with that woman, but I suspect not. The price of using dark magic on Spirit's Eve is too high, even for her. She's likely just toying with them for amusement."

"Did you find anything?" Sebastian asked, making Estelle jump. She'd been too focused on the voices to notice him approaching.

She turned to him, eyes wide with shock. "Did you fucking hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Voices. Two men, talking about dark magic and elementals, and how some woman is using spells to toy with us in the maze, and..." she trailed off, seeing the look of confused disbelief on Sebastian's face. "And you don't believe me."

He paused, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I mean it is kinda hard to believe. There's no one here but us, and magic?" he said, expression changing to concern. "Maybe we should leave. You seem a little...on edge."

Estelle ran her hand through her hair, balling it up in her fist with frustration. How was she going to get him to believe her? She didn't want him to think she was losing it, but on the other hand she didn't really blame him. She barely believed herself. If she hadn't already had her worldview thrown into disarray from the mines, then…

That's it. The mines.

"The skeletons are real," she blurted out desperately. "In the cage out front. Marlon told me not to say anything. I _know_ you saw that."

Sebastian just stared at her, expression inscrutable, so she barreled on, not stopping to think if she was doing the right thing or not. She just needed him to know. Something was going on, and she couldn't bear all these secrets on her own anymore.

"You told me you know I'm hiding something about what's really in the mines. You know how fucked up I've gotten in there. You saw my back and you know damn well a slime couldn't do that," she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. Estelle grabbed his hands and held them tightly between their bodies, his warmth a contrast to her clammy, trembling fingers.

"Monsters are real Seb. I didn't believe it either, but I've seen them. I've killed them, and they've almost killed me. And if monsters can be real, then who the fuck am I to say that magic can't be?"

Estelle watched desperately as Sebastian processed everything she had told him, letting the truth of it show in her eyes. He was always good at reading her; he should know she wasn't lying. He had to believe her.

"Estelle, I...think we should go home," he said finally, shaking his head slightly like he couldn't believe he was entertaining such a ridiculous idea. He gently extracted his hands from hers, and she felt her stomach drop into her feet.

She wanted to cry, or punch things, or shout a string of curses that could make Willy's sailor friends blush. She wanted to shake him by the shoulders and tell him to wake the hell up. He knew deep down she was telling the truth. He fucking _knew._

Looking down to hide the frustrated tears that pricked the corners of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of the tombstone by her feet, and her heart stopped cold.

It had her mother's name on it.

A bony hand popped out of the dirt, grabbed her by the ankle, and dragged her down into darkness before she had chance to scream.

* * *

Sebastian didn't know what to think. It was like his mind just stopped working – shattered into a million pieces that he had to put back together in order to form a coherent thought. Nothing made sense anymore, because he had just watched Estelle disappear before his very eyes.

 _Disappear_. Like, vanish. Cease to exist on this plane of reality.

She'd been rambling about monsters and magic, like this world was some kind of immensely boring RPG, and he'd dismissed her as crazy. He hadn't believed her, and then she fucking disappeared.

Estelle was gone.

The moment that cold truth hit, he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Her impossible disappearance was shocking to the point where he couldn't wrap his mind around it yet, but regardless of how it happened – she was gone. She was gone and he didn't know what had happened to her, or where she was, or if she was okay. She was just...gone.

Sebastian gripped his head roughly, trying to hard reset his brain into firing again. He had to do something. What if she was hurt, or in trouble, or…

 _Breathe._

Forcing himself to calm down, he recalled what she had told him before all of this. Monsters are real, and they're in the mines. She'd been killing them, and Marlon knew about it. They kept it quiet because...well, because it was fucking crazy. Still, none of that was relevant at all to what had just happened.

Magic. She'd mentioned magic, and a woman? And voices…

"Hello?" he called into the night.

There was no response, of course. He would have felt like an idiot doing this under any other circumstances, but, well…

"Hey! I know you're out there!" he yelled, the panic he was fighting to control seeping out. "Look, I don't know who the hell you are but Estelle heard you talking about magic, and now she's gone, so you'd better fucking answer me!"

"Calm down, boy," a deep, unhurried voice rang out.

Despite demanding an answer, Sebastian still jumped when he got one. He hadn't actually expected anyone to respond. In fact, he mostly expected to wake up in his bed and all of this to be a particularly disconcerting nightmare.

"Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down? I just watched her _disappear!"_

"As did I. However, screaming into the void won't bring her back, so I suggest you control yourself."

"Then what _will_ bring her back?" Sebastian asked, determination settling in over the panic. She was out there somewhere, and he was going to find her. Somehow.

"Patience, most likely. But I suspect that answer is not sufficient for you."

"You suspect right."

The voice hummed in amusement. "Ah, young passion. Very well. Come to my tower in the forest – if we are to forcibly retrieve the one you love, we will need to make preparations immediately."

The wizard's tower. Holy shit, that dude was _actually_ a wizard.

But he didn't have time to dwell on minor things like his entire experience of reality being systematically dismantled. The forest tower was a long walk from town, and every second he wasted was another chance for something bad to happen to Estelle. With that thought at the forefront of his mind, Sebastian took off running through the maze.

Cutting a bend too close, he smacked directly into someone and they both went crashing to the ground.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Sam complained, rubbing his ass as he glared at his best friend.

Sebastian had never in his life been so happy to see Sam. He needed help, and they were the only people he could rely on right now.

"I need you both to come with me," he said, scrambling to his feet and giving Sam a hand up.

Natalie furrowed her brows in confusion. "Uh, why? And where's Estelle?"

"I'll tell you on the way, but she might be in trouble and we need to go _now."_

Sebastian started back through the maze, not looking back to see if they were following. He needed their help, but he also didn't have time to waste. Sam and Natalie exchanged a bewildered glance, but jogged to catch up regardless.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked as they exited the maze, slowing to a brisk walk to avoid suspicion as they cut through town.

"The wizard's tower. Look, I'm going to tell you something that sounds absolutely fucking insane and I need you to just believe me, okay?"

"Uh...yeah, okay."

Sebastian exhaled, searching for a way to make this sound less psychotic, but failing. Just blurt it out then.

"Magic is real. Like _actual_ magic. And somehow Estelle got mixed up in it, and I literally saw her disappear right in front of my eyes, like poof into thin air fucking _gone_. And I don't know where she is or if she's okay and the wizard said he'd help get her back."

Natalie and Sam were both quiet for a long moment, digesting his disturbed rambling, before Natalie eventually spoke up.

"And you expect us to believe this how?"

"I don't," he sighed. "I really don't. You're just going to have to trust me."

"Alright dude," Sam said, shrugging. "I trust you."

Natalie looked at Sam like he was crazier than Sebastian. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah. Seb doesn't bullshit when it's important, and Estelle's more important to him than anything, so… yeah. I believe him."

Sebastian didn't bother denying it. There was no point - they both knew how deeply his feeling for her ran. Besides, all his prior reservations seemed so fucking stupid now, in the face of all this chaos.

He should have told her.

"Then...okay, I guess," Natalie said reluctantly. "I still have no idea what's going on, but if Estelle's really in trouble then let's tear shit up."

"I don't know either," Sebastian admitted, relieved that his friends had his back. "But we're going to find out."

* * *

Estelle was falling. She recognized the sensation, the tug of gravity in her stomach, but it felt strange, unnatural - like skydiving without any air resistance. Her initial scream of terror subsided when the impact she'd been bracing for never came, and after a confused few seconds she opened her eyes.

Despite being pulled into the ground, there was no dirt. Confusingly enough, her surroundings reminded her more of space than earth - swirling blacks and blues, with specks of silver rushing past like a bad CG wormhole. There was no perspective, no beginning or end, no way to gauge her position at all. Infinity stretched out on all sides of her, dizzying in its vastness.

The effect made her queasy, but before she could squeeze her eyes shut against the wave of nausea overtaking her - it was over. Estelle landed on her ass with a soft plop, like she'd slid off the couch onto the floor rather than plummeting for the last Yoba knows how long. She reflexively patted her torso, checking for physical evidence that she was unharmed and sighing with relief when she found nothing wrong.

That relief was comically short lived, as Estelle raised her head - and screamed. Green glowing eyes stared back at her, and her heart sputtered into double time as she spotted the monster they were attached to. Teeth bared, claws outstretched, ready to attack. Scrambling backwards, her peripheral vision caught sight of two more sets of eyes in the dim light - yellow and purple, surrounding her from both sides. Estelle turned and pushed herself to her feet, ready to run, when...

Laughter. A woman's unbridled laughter, wild and melodious, sending shivers down her spine. Estelle's head whipped towards the sound, catching sight of a slim, graceful figure seated at a table nearby, raven hair swaying as she doubled over in amusement.

"They're machines, girl!" the woman exclaimed breathlessly, wiping tears from her eyes. "I heard you mundane folk were skittish but clearly I didn't know the half of it!"

Estelle faltered, turning to look more closely at the monsters she was trying to escape. A towering metal monolith. Buttons for teeth. LED lighting.

 _Oh._

Well shit, they had arms - what else was she supposed to think?

"You certainly have an eye for interior design..." Estelle deadpanned, trying to hide her trepidation. She might not know who this woman was, but she had the distinct impression that she wasn't exactly friendly. Estelle needed to keep her guard up until she figured out what the hell was going on.

"Ooh, I like you," the woman laughed again, a mere chuckle compared to her whooping a moment ago. "You've got spunk."

"Great. Thanks. Mind telling me where the hell we are?"

Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dim torchlight, Estelle surveyed the area. A workshop of some sort, by the looks of it. The bare wooden hut was sparsely populated aside from the disturbing machines that took up the majority of the round space. The table where the woman sat had a variety of colorful glass vials spread out across it like a mad scientist's wet dream, and a massive cast iron pot sat nearby. The only relatively normal thing in the room was a variety of plants lining the walls, except one of them was...moving...

Yoba, this place was creepy.

"I've invited you to my home," the woman said as she stood, brushing her hair back and stepping forward. "Welcome, Estelle."

Estelle took an involuntary half-step backwards in response. "How do you know my name...?" she asked, eyeing the woman warily.

She was beautiful, without a doubt, but in an eerie way that set Estelle's nerves on edge. Tall and lithe, with waist-length hair that billowed around her like a cape as she moved. Her kohl-lined eyes were impossibly dark, a stark contrast against creamy skin that was even paler than Sebastian's, somehow.

 _Sebastian._

Estelle's pulse picked up with worry. Sebastian was in the graveyard with her too, but he didn't end up here. What happened to him? Was he okay?

"I know many things about you, Estelle," the woman said with a smile that could only be described as predatory.

"Estelle Hayes, 22. Grew up in the Zuzu slums with big dreams and big ambition - that is, until mommy died." She paused, pouting her cherry red lips out in fake sympathy. "Sorry sugar."

Estelle's eyes narrowed, but the woman continued, holding up her fingers to tick off facts as she slowly circled Estelle.

"You made a lot of mistakes, didn't you sweetie? Regret after regret after regret. Burned out and hopeless, our little heroine moved to her family's farm in a last ditch attempt to start over. And there she met a boy."

Estelle's hands involuntarily curled into fists, a motion that was not lost on the woman as she chuckled with delight. "Oh don't worry, love. Your prince charming is safe. For now."

"Cut the bullshit," Estelle growled, the not-so-subtle threat towards Sebastian pushing her past the limits of her patience. "Who are you, and what do you want from me?"

"Oh, of course! How rude of me to not even introduce myself to a guest. My name is Victoria," she said with an exaggerated sweeping bow. Her smile grew as she raised her head, stretching her face into something nearly feral. "And I want to offer you a deal."


	2. A Malevolent Grudge

"A deal?" Estelle echoed in disbelief. "You brought me here against my will, tried to intimidate me, threatened my friends...and now you want to negotiate?"

"Pretty much," Victoria replied nonchalantly, taking her seat at the table once more. She flicked her wrist towards Estelle, and a wooden chair slid up behind her, bumping the back of her knees and causing her to fall back onto it.

Despite knowing that Victoria was the woman the voices in the maze spoke of, and knowing that she had used magic to bring Estelle here, seeing the impossible firsthand still left her completely dumbfounded.

"You really are a sorceress," she breathed.

Victoria raised one thin eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching up. "Sorceress? How fancy! Most people just go with 'witch' these days."

A snarky witch to boot. Great. "And what does a witch want with me?"

"Such an impatient girl," Victoria scolded teasingly, twisting her hand around in a quick circle. Estelle watched as an ornate teacup materialized in the witch's hand, fragrent steam wafting off the top. "Tea?"

Estelle shook her head and Victoria shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "Before I tell you what I want from you, you should first understand _why_ I've approached you to begin with, no?"

It was absolutely ridiculous, but Estelle was suddenly reminded of playing Solarion Chronicles with her friends. "Is this your tragic backstory or final monologue?" she said, unable to hold back her amused scoff.

"I suppose that's up to you, isn't it?" Victoria replied with a wink. "But a word of advice - when dealing with witches, always learn exactly what you're signing up for. We can be a bit tricky if you're not careful."

Right. Like kidnapping people through graves tricky. Estelle opened her mouth to pop off a retort, but an urgent beeping sound cut her off.

"Oops! Hold that thought," Victoria said, setting down her teacup to examine one of the glass vials on the table. The viscous blue liquid inside was bubbling, though Estelle couldn't see an obvious heat source, and the witch carefully inserted a thin metal rod inside to stir the contents. Estelle's skin crawled as she pulled the rod back out and saw it had been corroded through entirely.

Victoria hummed in approval, gently setting the beaker back onto the table and tossing the remains of the stirring rod into a trash bin nearby. "Sorry for the interruption love - timing is critical you know! Anyway, where were we? Oh, that's right."

"What I want is very simple. _Revenge,"_ she said, her pleasant voice darkening on the word. "The man I loved betrayed me, you see. Indulged his carnal desires with another behind my back, and planted his seed inside of her. An ordinary, unremarkable village girl of all people!" she sneered, as if the woman being normal was more of an insult than the actual cheating.

Taking a moment to compose herself once more, she continued. "Rather than take responsibility for his actions, my _beloved_ sealed me away. For 25 years I've been held captive in this wretched swamp, in the name of 'protecting' his whore and her spawn. But no longer."

The righteous anger on her beautiful features smoothed into icy amusement. "His seal has weakened enough that my magic is free, if not my body. And that is where you come in."

Estelle swallowed, not liking the path this tale was taking. "You can't leave, so you want me to bring something here."

Victoria smiled. "Smart girl. For years I've thought about how to hurt him the most, and I always land on the same answer - his only child, his filthy legacy. The problem is, the girl is protected by a powerful charm, one even I can't penetrate from a distance. My magic is effectively useless against her while I'm trapped here. So instead, I want you to bring her to me."

Estelle opened her mouth to immediately refuse. Why the hell would she deliver an innocent girl to a vengeful witch? There was absolutely no reason she could think to even entertain that idea.

Before the words could form on her lips, Victoria held up one finger, cutting her short. "Nuh uh uh! Let me finish. I haven't gotten to what's in it for you, yet."

"I don't care what's in it for me. You obviously don't know me as well as you think you do," Estelle argued, standing up and moving towards the door along the far wall. She knew leaving would almost certainly not be so easy, but it was worth a shot. She couldn't just stay here forever.

"On the contrary, my sweet. I know your deepest, darkest thoughts. The ones you won't even admit to yourself," she murmured, stepping towards Estelle. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned close, warm breath washing over the shell of her ear.

"I know you want to get rid of Abigail, too."

Estelle paused with her hand on the doorknob, blood running cold in her veins. Body moving of its own accord, she slowly turned back to face the witch, who smirked knowingly.

"That's right. The one I'm after is the girl who has caused you so much pain, caused the one you love so much pain." Her voice was low, and dangerously seductive - like velvet wrapped around a dagger. "I can make all that pain go away. For you _and_ Sebastian."

Estelle couldn't breathe around the tightness in her chest. The majority of her was screaming no, this bitch was crazy, there was no way she was going to sell out anyone, even Abigail. But she couldn't deny the one tiny part, that twisting tendril of insecurity and anger that lay deep in her heart. That dark place inside wanted to hear her out.

"How...would you make it go away?" she asked reluctantly, hating herself for it but unable to resist.

"I won't kill her, if that's what you're worried about," Victoria assured her, taking Estelle's hand in hers and lightly guiding her back to the middle of the room. She gestured towards the machines proudly. "I've been working on these for the better part of a decade. The Dark Shrines."

Estelle jumped as the witch suddenly bolted to the floor, moving almost inhumanly fast as she pounced on something near their feet. When she stood back up, her fingers were curled around a small grey mouse, squeaking helplessly in her grasp.

"The Dark Shrine of Selfishness," she cooed, pressing a series of buttons on the one with yellow 'eyes'. She placed the mouse on a round platform in front of the machine, and pulled the right arm down like a lever before the mouse had a chance to run.

Estelle watched with rapt attention as a brilliant yellow light rose up from the platform, and when it receded, the mouse was gone. In its place was...a dove?

The dove fluttered its wings in apparent confusion as Victoria casually opened the door to her hut. Seizing the opportunity for escape, the bird took off, flight path unsteady but determined. Victoria cast one last look and shut the door, walking back to her shrines.

"D-did that just..." Estelle stuttered, unable to make the words come out.

"This shrine will turn any living creature into a dove," Victoria confirmed. "Including humans."

She stepped over to the center machine, configuring it before turning to Estelle. "Step on this platform please."

"Uh...there's no fucking way I'm going to do that."

Victoria rolled her eyes. The casual expression looked so weird on her delicate face. "It's not going to hurt you. I want your help, remember?"

"Yeah, well, pardon my skepticism but that last machine was decidedly horrifying."

Victoria looked slightly offended. "Doves are beautiful," she huffed. "Fine, have it your way."

To her credit Estelle saw it coming - but Victoria was too quick. With one swift movement she placed her palm flat on Estelle's back and shoved hard enough to make her stumble forward, directly onto the platform. One lever pull later and...

Nothing. Estelle blinked, looking at Victoria in confusion. "What...happened?"

"The Dark Shrine of Memory. Pretty self-explanatory, really. It has the ability to erase memories."

Estelle blanched. "Wait, you erased my _memory?"_

No way. She sifted through her head, frantically cataloguing things she ought to know - Sebastian's crooked smile, the smell of her mom's perfume, the jingle to that fucking gum commercial... it was all there, wasn't it?

"Sure. Well, just one memory. What did I just turn that mouse into a moment ago?"

Estelle stared at her blankly, stomach dropping out when she realized she didn't know. She remembered Victoria picking up the mouse, putting it on the machine, pulling the lever, and then...nothing. It was like there was a block in her mind, and no matter how hard she pressed against it she couldn't make it budge.

"What the _fuck..."_

"Pretty cool, right?" Victoria grinned. "What's even better is that this machine has two settings. I can erase specific memories from the person standing inside, or..." her eyes gleamed, "I can erase whatever is standing inside from _everyone's memories."_

Estelle's stomach twisted, nausea overwhelming her. The thought that in a simple press of a button, everyone she'd ever loved could forget about her...

"What kind of monster would do that?"

"Monster?" Victoria cocked her head in confusion. "I'm not a monster. My inventions have very altruistic uses, thank you very much."

"When would it ever be a good thing to make everyone forget about somebody?"

"When they've just been turned into a dove," Victoria said, giggling. "Oh, I forgot, you can't remember. It was a dove."

Victoria sighed, clearly not understanding the reason for Estelle's horrified silence. "The mouse turned into a dove," she reiterated.

"I get it."

And she did. The pieces had clicked together, and she finally got the full picture of Victoria's ambition. She'd picked Estelle because she knew about their rivalry, knew she was the most likely to agree out of everyone in town. She wanted her to bring Abigail here, where they'd turn her into a dove and make everyone forget she ever existed.

Make everyone forget she ever existed...

"Do you _really_ get it?" the witch asked, voice a persuasive purr in Estelle's ear. "Think about it. You'll have everything you want. Sebastian will be yours, with no reservations, no doubts...not even a wistful memory of Abigail to come between you two."

Estelle swallowed hard, insides churning with a potent mixture of disgust, desire, and fear. Fear not only about her predicament, or the incredibly disturbing task she was being asked to do...but fear of the part of her that wanted to say yes.

"What does that one do?" Estelle asked, nodding towards the third machine. It was mostly a stall tactic, but the witch didn't need to know that.

"Oh...well, I guess you could say that one is my backup plan. You see Estelle, I really want us to help each other out, but if you refuse..." Victoria trailed off, frowning slightly.

"Well, the Dark Shrine of Night Terrors will open a portal between the mines and Pelican Town."

* * *

"Is it just me or is it extra creepy out tonight?" Natalie asked, biting her lip as she scanned her surroundings nervously.

She was right - the walk through the forest was particularly ominous. It was a new moon that night, and even with their phone flashlights lighting the path ahead, the forest was smothered under a heavy, oppressive darkness. It hung like a mist, swirling over and around them, almost tangible but just out of reach.

It felt wrong.

"It's not you. There's something going on," Sebastian confirmed. "Before she disappeared, Estelle was trying to tell me what was happening. But I didn't believe her," he said, voice cracking at the end. Why didn't he just believe her? Would she still be here if he had?

Sam put his hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault dude. What did she say?"

"She said she heard voices in the maze, talking about dark magic and elementals," he said, trying to recall her exact words. "And that there was a woman using spells to mess with us."

Thinking back on it now, with his new insight and the sinister atmosphere he was feeling, it started to make sense. This wasn't a normal creepy night. He couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but something in the quiet stillness was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It felt oddly familiar though, kind of like...

"Hey, did you guys go down that pitch black hallway in the maze? The one with no torches at all?" Sebastian asked warily, feeling like he already knew the answer.

"Uh...no? But dude, we went through the maze front to back. There was nothing like that."

Sebastian shook his head. What other explanation could there be?

"Estelle and I went through a hallway that felt a mile long, in complete darkness. It...felt like this," he said with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "It really fucked with her."

His stomach tightened as he thought about the waver in her voice when she finally admitted to her fear, how clammy her palms had been when he held her hand. How she said he made her feel okay again.

"And you think this creepy hallway was magic?" Natalie asked, the doubt still evident in her voice.

"I don't know what I think anymore," Sebastian snapped in frustration, the torrent of emotions inside of him threatening to burst. "All I know is that Estelle said there was dark magic at play, I told her she was crazy, and then she vanished. So what the fuck am I supposed to think other than she was right?"

"Sorry Seb. I'm just scared. If this is all real I just…" Natalie trailed off with a sniffle.

Sam put his arm around her, pulling her close. "It's okay babe. It's gonna be okay."

"But what if it's not?"

There was nothing any of them could say to that, and a tense silence fell over the party as they approached the wizard's tower.

* * *

Estelle stared at the witch, feeling like she was being torn apart inside. How could she make a decision like this? Sacrifice Abigail and live with that guilt, that black scar on her soul forever...or refuse and doom the town. The villagers couldn't protect themselves against the evil that lurked underground, and even those who could fight still wouldn't stand a chance against a surprise monster attack. It would be a slaughter.

She swallowed hard as she imagined a pack of void spirits bearing down on the people she had come to love. Their screams in the darkness. Vince and Jas growing cold on blood-stained cobblestone.

That settled it. There was no question. The right answer was clear.

"Fine," Estelle whispered, unable to muster any more volume to her voice.

"Fine...what? Be specific dear! I told you, witches are tricky if you're not careful," Victoria replied, lips twitching in amusement as she realized she'd won.

"If I bring Abigail here, I want your word that the town will be safe," Estelle began, her legs feeling like lead as she approached the witch, leaning against her table. "No monsters, no unnecessary toying with their memories."

She nodded, teasing face suddenly serious. "You have my word."

"And Sebastian can never know."

"Of course."

"Then I..." Estelle inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a long moment as she steeled her determination. Her voice was oddly calm as she opened her eyes once more.

"I refuse."

Before the witch could process what was happening, Estelle reached out and snatched the flask from the table beside her, throwing it as hard as she could towards the purple-eyed machine.

"NO!" Victoria shrieked, holding her hands out helplessly as the vile blue liquid consumed her shrine, sparks flying as it ate through the electrical components.

Estelle took advantage of the momentary distraction and bolted for the door. She had just grabbed the doorknob when the cool metal suddenly became scorching hot, forcing her to let go with a yelp.

Before she could recover, an overwhelming force enveloped her, roughly grabbing her body and shoving her painfully away from the door and against the opposite wall. It felt like the air itself was restraining her, thick and oppressive, and impossible to escape. There was nothing to grab at, nothing to fight against, and her entire body was pinned so tightly the only thing she could move was her eyes.

They landed on Victoria, standing in the center of the room, trembling with rage.

"I should kill you, you petulant little brat!" she snarled, her magic squeezing the air from Estelle's throat.

Unable to move, unable to breathe, Estelle could do nothing but stare helplessly as she felt her life slipping away. Darkness began to lace the edge of her vision, and as her eyes fluttered closed she saw an image of Sebastian, wearing that sideways smile she loved so much.

She didn't regret losing her life to protect the others. She only regretted losing him.

"But first, you're going to suffer."

Just as her consciousness began to fade, the pressure let up enough to allow breath to pass through. Estelle gasped, the humid, sticky air of the swamp tasting so sweet as it filled her aching lungs. With renewed resolve, Estelle wriggled and writhed, struggling against her invisible binds. The witch paid her no mind, angrily scrawling symbols in chalk on the floor.

She tossed the chalk aside as she finished, and casting one final glare at Estelle, murmured something under her breath. A green oval sprung to life between the symbols, looking almost like a full-length mirror - except the surface was rippling and shimmering with what could only be magic. Estelle felt a cold bead of sweat drip down her neck when she realized what was coming next.

"Goodbye, Estelle."

The force holding her pitched forward, and Estelle was flung into the portal.

* * *

When they reached the top of the winding steps, Sebastian raised his fist to knock on the door, but it slowly creaked open before his knuckles made contact. There was a flicker of dim light shining through the crack, but a quick glance inside showed that no one was there to have opened the door. Sebastian swallowed hard and stepped into the tower.

"Fuck dude, he really is a wizard," Sam muttered, looking around in astonishment. A cauldron boiled in the corner, emitting a faint green smoke that they made a point to avoid. Sebastian didn't recognize the design traced onto the floor in chalk, but if fantasy novels and games had taught him anything, it had to be a summoning circle. Rows of books lined the back wall, some so old the binding looked like it would wither away at the slightest touch.

Any doubt Sebastian still harbored about what was happening faded away. This was real. All of it.

"Wizard?" he called, walking towards the hallway.

"It's Rasmodius," a voice corrected from behind. Sebastian whirled around to find the wizard standing right behind him, in the spot he had been not 3 seconds prior.

Natalie shrieked, and the wizard glanced over at his friends with disapproval. "You brought guests?"

"I want Estelle back. They can help," Sebastian replied firmly.

Rasmodius looked them up and own, raising his brow as if he sincerely doubted their ability to assist, before ultimately dismissing them entirely. Taking a step towards the summoning circle, he lit the candles around the edge with a flick of his fingers.

" _Holy shit..."_ Sam breathed as they all watched wide-eyed.

"Do not speak unless you are told to," Rasmodius commanded sternly. "A stray word can turn even the most harmless spell into something twisted."

Their mouths snapped shut, watching in silence as the wizard murmured an incantation. The outer band of the circle flashed with a column of yellow light shooting upwards, so bright Sebastian covered his eyes reflexively against it. When the light faded, he opened his eyes to see...an apple?

"They call themselves Junimos," Rasmodius clarified, holding a small offering out to the creature. "Forest sprites. They flit between the physical and spirit worlds, acting as messengers and guides. They should be able to tell us where Victoria took the child."

"Victoria? Is that the woman who messed with the maze?" Sebastian asked.

Rasmodius shot him a look for speaking out of turn, but answered anyway. "Yes. She is a powerful dark witch, bearing a terrible grudge. I thought my seal would hold, but it appears she has outwit me once again."

"So why did she take Estelle?"

"I do not know. I would have thought she'd take another, but...perhaps those charms still protect her..." he trailed off in thought.

Sebastian couldn't bring himself to care about whatever charmed, protected girl the wizard spoke of. Estelle wasn't protected, and they were wasting time. He looked at the small green creature bouncing happily inside the circle. "Do you know where Estelle is?" he asked it.

"Boy, they won't speak to typical huma– ," Rasmodius began, but was cut short when the creature chirped in response.

Sebastian glanced up, a hint of a smirk on his face. "Did that mean yes?" he asked.

The wizard frowned, but nodded.

"Can you show me where she is?" Seb asked the Junimo.

It chirped again, a series of quick little noises that caused a dark look to settle over the wizard's face.

"What? What did it say?"

"I'm afraid the situation is more dire than I'd suspected," he replied, brows narrowed in agitation. "Your friend refused Victoria's proposition. That woman never did handle rejection well..."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means that Estelle pissed off a dark witch, and now she's in deep shit," Sam supplied. "Right?"

"Crass, but correct. Estelle's consciousness was banished to the spirit realm – a place where humans should not go if they lack the magical talent to protect themselves. If left for too long, her experience there will essentially break her mind." The old man pressed his lips together in a grave line. "And when the mind breaks, the body follows soon after."

Sebastian felt like the air had been knocked out of him, like he'd never take a full breath again. _Yoba, no._

"How long do we have?" he choked out, fighting to stay calm despite the cold dread welling up inside him. They still had a chance. He had to believe they had a chance.

"That depends on her. But we must not dally, or she will be lost." Rasmodius said, walking to his bookshelf and scanning the volumes.

"One of you must go into the spirit realm to retrieve your friend," he continued, pulling a dusty tome from a shelf and hastily flipping through the pages. "I suggest you choose whomever she has the closest bond with. It will assist in finding her."

Sebastian turned, looking to his friends. Natalie's eyes were red-rimmed, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Sam had his arm around her for comfort, but his face was pale with worry. He idly wondered what his own looked like.

"Who's going?" he asked.

"You," Sam said immediately.

Natalie nodded in agreement. "Her closest bond is with you, Seb."

His eyebrows furrowed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're her sister. And Sam's her best friend. Why me?"

Natalie almost smiled, a tired little expression full of fear and exasperation. "Because she loves you, you fucking idiot."

Sebastian felt like the world stopped turning. His gaze flicked between Natalie and Sam, who were both looking at him with complete certainty. They wouldn't lie to him now, when so much was on the line. She must have told them.

Estelle loved him.

The breath he didn't realize he'd been holding exited in a whoosh, the blood in his veins picking up speed and clearing his head. He turned back to the wizard, who was drawing a new chalk outline on the floor.

"I'm going."

The wizard nodded, not looking up from his work. "I suspected as much. Good. Your natural affinity for the arcane will make this easier."

"My _...what?"_

"Latent mystical potential. I suspected as much, but your ability to communicate with the Junimo proved the theory." Rasmodius sounded almost bored, like he told people shit like that every day.

"Whoa, hold up...Seb's a fucking wizard too?" Sam sputtered, staring at his best friend like at any moment he'd sprout wings and a tail.

Rasmodius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was staving off a migraine. " _Latent mystical potential._ You won't be able to cast spells without rigorous training, and maybe not even then. But there is a benefit in that the spirit realm will not affect you as harshly. You'll be able to see through the deceptions."

The wizard stood, dusting chalk from his hands and eyeing Natalie, who stood nearest to the cauldron. "You there, girl. Make yourself useful and bring me 100ml of catalyst."

Natalie blinked, looking between the three of them in confusion. "Uh, what the hell does that even mean?"

The wizard shot her a look of exasperation as he gathered various reagents from a cabinet nearby. "Beakers are on the shelf. Measure out 100ml of catal-" he paused, sighing, "of the _bubbling green goo_ in the cauldron."

"That's all you had to say Gramps," she grumbled, turning to do as he asked.

While Natalie and Rasmodius were busy working on whatever magical science experiment he was cooking up, Sam stepped over to Sebastian, slapping a hand on his back.

"You okay man?"

"No. You?"

"Not even close," Sam said with a nervous little laugh. "One minute I'm getting blown in the hedge maze, the next Estelle's in another dimension and you're some kind of baby wizard. Wild fucking night."

Sebastian knew Sam was trying to help, but he couldn't manage to lift his grim expression. Magic, forest sprites, "latent mystical potential"...none of it mattered if Estelle was gone. He couldn't process anything except that hard truth, and the fear his best wouldn't be enough. It was all on him, and if he failed...

Sam squeezed his shoulder, pulling him back from the dark place his thoughts were taking him. "Hey. I believe in you. And you're not alone."

Sebastian looked up at his best friend, the guy who had had his back as long as he could remember. He was an idiot, optimistic to a fault with too much charisma and not enough sense...but Sebastian didn't know what he'd do without him.

"Thanks Sam."

A loud crackling sound stole their attention, and the boys turned to watch as the wizard dropped various herbs and powders into the beaker. The liquid inside frothed and hissed, the color shifting dramatically before finally settling on a mossy green.

"Drink this," Rasmodius commanded, holding the beaker out to Sebastian. "It will allow you to understand the Junimos. They will help you find the girl."

Sebastian eyed the potion dubiously, but didn't hesitate to bring it to his lips. He'd drink bleach if it helped get Estelle back.

The moment he swallowed, a wave of dizziness washed over him, so intense it brought him to his knees. His fingers gripped his hair hard enough to hurt, clinging to his head desperately as he felt like his brain was being blown wide open and reconfigured. He heard Sam worriedly calling his name, felt hands on his back and face, but he couldn't focus on anything except struggling to maintain consciousness.

It had only been a few minutes, but it felt like hours before the worst of it passed. Sebastian pushed himself up on trembling legs, swaying on his feet until Sam grabbed his arms to steady him. He looked up through sweat-soaked bangs at the wizard, who, much to his chagrin, was _chuckling._

"Something funny old man?" Natalie growled, her fingers dropping from Sebastian's forehead to curl into angry fists. That surprised him - he knew she was protective of Estelle, but didn't think that extended to him. It felt kind of nice.

"Not at all. I'm just impressed he didn't pass out," Rasmodius explained with a shrug.

"Latent mystical potential," Sebastian muttered, rubbing his face on his sleeve and taking a deep breath. "So what's next?"

"You go get Estelle."

Rasmodius closed his eyes, murmuring an incantation as he held his hand up towards the circle drawn on the floor. A flash of light punctuated his final word, and a shimmering violet pane of some sort materialized in the center of the circle. It was just large enough to walk through, and Sebastian suddenly realized that's exactly what he was supposed to do.

It was a portal.

Adrenaline burning through his fatigue, Sebastian took a hesitent step towards the portal, but paused when the wizard spoke his name for the first time since they'd arrived.

"Sebastian."

He glanced up to see the man frowning, a look of discontent on his face.

"I will be focused on maintaining the portal and cannot protect you on the other side. Do not underestimate the danger you will be in. Stay alert, and trust your instincts."

"I understand," Sebastian said, unphased. He had never had a clearer purpose than he did at this moment.

He was going to find Estelle, and bring her home. He was going to tell her she meant everything to him, kiss her until her lips were swollen, hold her close at night. He was going to make her feel as alive as she made him feel.

Sebastian stepped into the portal.


	3. A Tale of Two Junimos

It only lasted a moment, but it _hurt._ Yoba, it hurt so bad.

The sharp ripping sensation cut through Estelle, her body protesting loudly as something that should never be removed was forcibly wrenched from inside of her. She imagined the sensation to be akin to a heart transplant performed without anesthetic, or scalpels, or regard for human life. Pure, blind suffering.

When it was over she felt empty. No more pain, but...something wasn't right. It wasn't like the hollow of depression, the numbness of drugs or alcohol – it was less tangible than that. She couldn't put her finger on what was missing, but she was somehow certain that her being was no longer whole.

It scared her.

All of this scared her.

She was trying to be strong, but it was a losing battle. It was just so much, too much. Magic and monsters aside, she was stuck in this world she didn't recognize, in this body that didn't feel right, lost and alone...not knowing where her friends were or if they were okay...

Tears pricked at her eyes, sharp and hot, and she was powerless to stop them. She knew she needed to get up, needed to push forward – but what was the point? She remembered how easily the witch had squeezed the life from her, how utterly helpless she had been. How was she supposed to fight against that kind of power?

She was in so far over her head there was no coming up for air, and there was nothing she could do but bury her head in her arms and cry.

Each tear that crashed to the ground felt like a goodbye. Goodbye to the life she'd tried so hard to build for herself. Goodbye to her fragile hope for a happy ending. Goodbye to Pelican Town, and all the wonderful people she'd met there. Goodbye to Natalie and Sam, the most perfect couple to ever exist. Goodbye to Sebasti...

No.

She couldn't. She wouldn't. Not now.

Anger washed over her, torching through the pity and desolation and renewing her sense of purpose. Anger at the bitch that put her here; anger at herself for falling into the trap of despair. She had given enough of her life to that bleak hole already. There was no fucking way she was going back now.

Estelle swiped her eyes with the back of her hand, erasing the last traces of her weakness. Pushing herself up to her feet, she carefully took in the strange world around her.

Or attempted to, anyway. Every time her eyes roamed from one spot to another, the landscape seemed to shift – not drastically, but enough to be completely disorienting. She examined an area of thick fog, looked away for a split second, and suddenly it was clear. A hill flattened. A small pond transformed into a pit filled with glittering iridium ore.

The navigational issue this posed was further complicated by something she hadn't noticed immediately, but as soon as she did it was glaringly obvious. Everything appeared... _soft._ Edges were blurred, colors were muted. There was nothing stark or sharp anywhere to be found. It was giving her a headache, and made it difficult to focus.

This place seemed made for getting lost. The only hope she had for finding a way out was to find something notable to move towards, and keep her eye on it at all times so it didn't disappear.

 _There._ The hill she stood on fed into a large expanse of knee-high grass swaying softly in the wind, and on the other side she could just make out a small waterfall trickling down a tiered rock face. Somehow it seemed more real than the rest of her surroundings – she could not only see it, but she could hear it. Maybe that meant something. Even if it didn't, she had no better ideas. Taking a deep breath, Estelle began to walk.

Naturally, it wasn't long before her plans were derailed.

Careful to keep her eyes on the waterfall ahead of her, Estelle was ignoring the strange fog that began to circle her feet as she trudged through the grassy plain. The way it followed her as she moved was a little disconcerting, but it hadn't hurt her so far, and she was honestly more afraid of losing sight of the waterfall and the tiny bit of direction it provided.

A soft hissing sound, however – _that_ triggered every survival instinct in her to act. Estelle jumped, dropping her eyes to her feet just in time to see the wispy cloud of fog tighten, lengthen... _solidify._ Blazing red eyes met hers for a split second before the creature attacked, wrapping its pale, snake-like body around her ankles and dragging her to the ground with a yelp.

Estelle kicked her feet, struggling against the snake as it coiled up her legs, seeming to grow in length as it went. The hissing grew louder, and Estelle grabbed it by the neck, squeezing hard as she desperately tried to free her legs. Seemingly unphased, the creature just elongated further and looped around her wrists, binding her hands together and moving up her arm.

Estelle opened her mouth to scream for help, but help found her first, in the form of a chunky blue...apple?

The rotund little creature screeched angrily as it barreled towards her, arms flailing wildly and glowing with what could only be magic. Estelle tensed, expecting another attack. Instead the snake jerked back, loosening its grip slightly as it responded to the new threat.

That was all Estelle needed. Wrenching her wrists out of the snake's grasp, she propped herself up on her elbows, lifted both her legs into the air, and brought them down _hard._ She felt a sick crunch under her but didn't hesitate, violently slamming the snake against the ground over and over again. The head hissed in fury, but the apple kept it too preoccupied to retaliate, flinging glowing blue balls that exploded into a shower of silver sparks upon impact.

Blood red eyes glared at the two of them before the snake abruptly uncoiled itself, slithering away into the grass and disintegrating into mist once more. Estelle shivered as the adrenaline faded, leaving her cold and exhausted.

 _Chirp!_

Now that the danger had passed, Estelle turned to face her unlikely rescuer, tilting her head as she stared. She wasn't afraid – it obviously didn't mean her any harm – but it was just so incredibly alien that she couldn't help but gawk. Bright blue skin, huge dark eyes, and a little antenna popping out of its head that looked exactly like the stem on a freshly picked apple. Its body was as wide as it was tall, only coming up to her knees, with thin little limbs that looked woefully unprepared to support it.

It was kind of...cute?

The creature mimicked her, tilting its entire body to the side, glossy eyes boring into hers in an almost unsettling way. Then it raised one lanky arm and waved.

 _Chirp!_

"Um...hi?" Estelle replied, lifting her own hand to wave back. "Thanks for your help."

The apple bounced in place, seemingly pleased by her response.

"Can you understand me?" she asked hesitantly.

 _Chirp!_

Was that a yes? Estelle bit her lip, casting her gaze in the direction of the waterfall. It was gone, of course. She could still hear it, but it was so faint she couldn't pinpoint which direction the sound was coming from.

"Do you know a way out of here?" she ventured. If this little dude could use magic, maybe it could navigate this impossible terrain. Maybe it could help her.

 _Chirp!_

The apple bounced again, three quick little hops that almost looked like a nod. It held a tiny hand out to her, and after a brief hesitation Estelle took it. The apple chirped happily, and began to lead her towards a valley in the distance.

* * *

Natalie stared down at her hands, digging her fingernails into her palms to keep from screaming. If she screamed, she'd never stop, and Sam had enough to worry about without her breaking down on top of it. She needed to be strong right now, if only for him.

She was so worried about him. He'd just stared in pale horror as his best friend shuddered and collapsed, Sebastian's body falling to the floor in a crumpled heap. Natalie had shrieked and rushed over, the wizard's assurances that he wasn't dead offering little comfort. Sam stood frozen in shock, only the trembling of his hands giving away how very fucked up he really was.

Sure enough Seb was breathing, alive – but _gone._ She shook him but he wouldn't wake, pushed his eyelids up but there was nothing but emptiness behind them. Whatever it was that made Sebastian himself was no longer with them, leaving only an empty husk behind.

She could barely stand it. She was trying desperately to hold herself together, but every time she glanced at Sebastian's limp form she felt the screams clawing up her throat. All she could do was wrap herself around Sam and try to offer whatever reassurance she could. It wasn't much. This was so far beyond either of them. So endlessly fucked up.

The silence was heavy as they waited for something, _anything._ Just when she thought she'd go mad with it, a pounding on the door made her jump.

The wizard faltered, the purple vortex before him flickering as his concentration failed. Furrowing his brow, his gaze caught Natalie's and he nodded toward the door. "Get that. I have to focus."

Swallowing hard, Natalie summoned her courage and hesitantly opened the heavy wooden door. On the other side was a disheveled man she vaguely recognized as the homeless dude who lived by the lake. What was he doing here?

"There's trouble," the man said gruffly, stepping around Natalie and into the house. "She's tapped into the void, and she's gathering power. The mountains are thrumming with magic."

The wizard's face twisted into something impossibly grim, and Natalie's stomach flipped. She might not know what the hell they were talking about, but she recognized a look of foreboding when she saw one.

"You need to deal with this, Rasmodius," he continued.

"The boy entered the spirit realm to look for the girl. If I do not maintain the portal they'll both be trapped," the wizard sighed, shaking his head sadly. The vagrant raised his brow in surprise, before his eyes narrowed angrily.

"You sent a defenseless child into the void?"

Rasmodius looked uncharacteristically ashamed. "He's attuned so he'll have some protection, but...yes," he admitted, rubbing a hand over his face. "I saw no other option."

"The other option was to face your wife," the man snapped, scowling. "Even if he brings her back, her body is still with Victoria, is it not?"

"Yes. I planned to teleport her once the boy returned, but if Victoria is gathering power..." the wizard trailed off.

The room was silent for a long moment, until finally Natalie couldn't stand it anymore.

"So what, we need to get her body back?" she interrupted, crossing her arms impatiently – and also to hide the way her fingers trembled. They didn't need to know that detail. "Then I'll go. I'm sick of this place anyway."

She felt Sam move to stand behind her, one hand resting gently on her waist. She expected him to argue, to insist she stay out of danger – but instead he simply nodded.

"We'll both go."

The old men appraised them, then looked at each other, seeming to deliberate wordlessly. Natalie was about to run her mouth again when the vagrant nodded sharply.

"Very well then. Rasmodius, see that Sebastian returns safely. These two and I will retrieve Estelle."

* * *

Sebastian had braced himself for pain before stepping into the portal. After all, separating your soul from your body didn't exactly sound like a pleasant experience – and it wasn't. But to his surprise, it wasn't as bad as he anticipated either. It just felt weird and slightly unsettling, like seaweed slipping against your shins in the ocean, or a saline drip that wasn't warmed up enough.

Thanks, latent mystical potential.

The good news was that he felt completely better now that he was out of his body. All the fatigue and nausea the potion left him with was gone, replaced only by a slight "off" feeling that was easy to ignore. He stretched his muscles one by one, taking inventory to make sure everything was in place, and was pleased to find that his trip through the portal seemed to make his body more refreshed and responsive than it was on the other side.

The actual event itself was instantaneous. One moment he was in the wizard's tower, the next he was...wherever this was. A forest of some sort, by the looks of it – but nothing like the forests near Pelican Town. The trees were anemic and oddly colored, thin pink, orange, and maroon trunks branching out into thinner limbs that spiraled and twisted in odd angles towards the sky. There were no leaves, but each branch was covered in a thick growth that looked more like fur than anything a tree should produce.

Sebastian reached out to touch one, but thought better of it at the last moment. Best not to mess with anything he found here. Who knows what could end up being dangerous. Instead he spun in a slow circle, searching for any indication of where to begin looking for Estelle. The portal was still behind him, which was reassuring – the tall, twisted trees would serve as a good landmark for getting back here.

Finding nothing of particular interest, Sebastian just picked a direction and started to walk. It was light out at least, a soft filtered brightness that didn't seem to be coming from any direction in particular. Sebastian scanned the sky but saw nothing but a gauzy expanse of nothingness; no sun, no clouds, no birds flying overhead. The light cast no shadows around him, his footsteps made no sound as he walked. If he didn't know better, he would be totally convinced this was all a dream.

The forest stretched on for so long Sebastian was starting to consider the possibility that he was walking in circles. He was getting nowhere, and every second he wasted was another second closer to losing Estelle. He picked up his pace, cutting a sharp left when he passed a moss-covered rock. He wasn't entirely sure why, but...well, the wizard told him to trust his intuition, and left seemed like a good idea.

As it turns out, left was the right call. Almost immediately after he'd made the turn, Sebastian stumbled upon a tiny hut tucked in a narrow gap between two trees. The entire construction only came up to his navel, a patchwork of rocks and mud with a thatched roof made of foliage. It looked more like a clubhouse Vince would build down by the river than anything belonging in a void forest. Still, it was the first thing he'd come across besides trees, and Sebastian knelt down to give a tentative knock on the small wooden door.

No answer. He knocked again, and when he still received no response, he reached out to push open the door and peer inside.

"Uh, _do you mind?"_

Sebastian whirled around, jumping to his feet to defend himself from...well, whatever was talking to him. The voice was clearly female, but had an otherworldly, melodious quality to it that set him on edge. He looked around in a panic, and the mysterious voice snickered.

"Oh. A human. That explains it."

Sebastian caught movement in the corner of his eye, and his chest flooded with relief when he saw the first familiar thing since coming here. A short, fat, red apple, hands on her hips and wide eyes pointed directly at him.

"You're a Junimo, right?" he said, an excited smile tugging at his lips. This was the break he'd been looking for. Clearly the potion had worked since he could understand her language, and now she could help him find Estelle.

The Junimo blinked, cocking her entire body as a consequence of not having a head. "Uh, yeah. You a druid?"

Sebastian shook his head. Druids were real too? Was Solarion Chronicles a fucking instruction manual?

"Didn't think so. You're a little too edgy to be a druid," she replied with a smirk. "What then? Sorcerer? Mystweaver? Eldritch prince?"

"Just a normal human. Is an eldritch prince actually a thing?"

"Nah. Just wanted to fuck with you."

Sebastian stared blankly at the Junimo as she giggled to herself. "You're uh...not what I expected," he finally admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, well, not all of us buy into the whole _chirp chirp bounce_ shtick," the Junimo replied, brushing past Sebastian to stack up a pile of twigs near the side of the hut. "So what do you want, human who can suspiciously understand me?"

"I drank a potion," Sebastian said, feeling like he should explain if he wanted this chick to help him. "A wizard gave it to me so I could understand you guys. Because I need your help."

"Uh huh."

He ignored her and continued, his annoyance at her brush off not as important as getting on her good side. "Someone very important to me was banished here, and I need help finding her before it's too late. I know you can help me. _Please."_

The Junimo turned to look at him again, and though her flat black eyes were incapable of physically performing the motion, he was pretty sure she rolled her eyes at him all the same. "Look kid. I don't play the whole _benevolent spirit guide_ game. I have my own shit to do."

"So let me help you," Sebastian blurted out. He had no idea what the Junimo was after, or how he could possibly help her – but fuck it. He didn't have a whole lot of options at this point. "You help me find Estelle, I'll do whatever the fuck you want."

The Junimo stared at him for a prolonged moment, long enough that Sebastian began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze. Finally, she broke the silence, her tone incredibly serious.

"Don't go saying shit like that around here. That's exactly how you get your brains sucked out through your eyeholes."

Sebastian wasn't entirely sure what to say to that, and after a moment the Junimo snorted.

"Lucky for you, I'm a vegetarian. Alright kid, I'll help you find your girlfriend. In return, you get me out of here."

"What do you mean, out of here?"

" _Here,"_ she reiterated, holding her arms out and spinning once in emphasis. "I...lost the ability to get to the physical realm by myself. If I help you, I want you to take me back with you."

Sebastian nodded immediately. "Deal."

For the first time since meeting, the Junimo flashed him a sincere smile. "Okay then. You can call me Tai."

* * *

"So where does this witch live?" Natalie asked as they cut through the farm, heading north. "Please don't tell me it's here."

The vagrant, Linus as he'd helpfully supplied, turned to them with a grin. "Murray would have sooner thrown Rasmodius into the sea than allow him to imprison a witch on his land."

"Like grandpa like granddaughter," Sam snorted, a tiny but reassuring noise. Much to Natalie's relief, the further they got from the wizard's tower – and Sebastian's lifeless body – the more Sam seemed to pull himself together.

"They are very alike. Good hearts, bad tempers," Linus agreed with a chuckle. "No, Victoria is detained in a swamp north of the train station."

Sam shot him an odd look. "Swamp? There's nothing up there but cliffs."

"It's underground. And speaking of underground, I want to make a quick detour before we approach the witch's hut."

Natalie frowned. "We're kind of short on time dude."

"It won't take long. And it just may be the difference between saving Estelle and all of us dying in agony."

"...detour it is then," she muttered, and they picked up their pace through the winding mountain path.

They soon found that Linus was exponentially more helpful than the wizard – or at least more personable. He explained what was happening as best as he could, and while they still didn't get all of it, it was a huge boost of confidence to have some kind of understanding.

Linus told them how the spirit realm was sort of like an alternate reality, a non-physical plane that existed in parallel to ours. It was the ultimate source of all magic, including magical creatures, and the ability to tap into that power was what made someone a witch or wizard.

"So, what about you?" Natalie asked as they approached the lake near Robin's house. The more he talked, the more convinced she was that he was deeply involved in all this magic shit himself. "Are you a wizard too?"

Linus shook his head. "No, my connection to the void is more...indirect."

"Meaning?"

"I am one with nature," he said simply. "I draw power from it, and can manipulate it to some extent."

"Druid," Sam chimed in. When Linus nodded, he snickered. "And Mom said video games were a waste of time."

Linus led them past his tent and north, and Natalie assumed they were headed to the Adventurer's Guild. That was probably a good call. Marlon seemed like he could hold his own in a fight.

To her surprise, however, they paused at the entrance to the mines instead.

"Wait for me here," Linus said, his jovial manner growing serious. "The dwarf can be a bit...eh, what's the word... _trigger-happy_ around strangers."

Oh, good. Trigger-happy dwarves. Like tonight wasn't weird enough.

Sam and Natalie exchanged a look as Linus entered the cavern, and sat down in the grass to wait. She snuggled up between his legs, and despite everything, his broad chest against her back and warm arms around her still managed to make her feel safe. Like sure, they might be in mortal danger – but as long as he held her through it, they'd be okay.

"I love you," she murmured, turning her head to press a soft kiss to his jaw.

"Love you too babe. So, so much," he said, arms tightening in response. "I'm sorry for getting you caught up in all this..." he trailed off, that edge of pain returning to his voice.

"Sam, that's enough. They're my friends too. We're all in it together."

She felt him nod, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as they waited in silence. There was no use in voicing the endless worries that swirled through both of their minds, no use in pretending things were okay or wallowing in how they weren't. All they could do was wait.

True to his word, Linus didn't make them wait long. Only a scant few minutes passed before he came walking back out of the cave, trailed by what could only be the dwarf.

The first thing Natalie noticed was how short it was. She stood a full head taller, which was saying something considering how vertically challenged she was herself. It had a strange metal helmet on, the lip of which cast a dark shadow over the dwarf's face, concealing it completely.

Except for the eyes. Bright, glowing red eyes peered out at them from the blackness, and a shiver ran down her spine as its gaze met hers.

Linus said something in a language she didn't recognize, and the dwarf grunted in response. With a satisfied nod, he turned to them.

"He'll help us. Let's go."

"Not to be ungrateful or anything," Natalie said as they made their way to the train station, "but how is little dude supposed to help us, exactly?"

"Dwarves are cut off from the void. Magic doesn't work against them," Linus replied, turning to her with a sudden grin.

"He also has _a lot_ of bombs."

* * *

"I'm Estelle, by the way."

It probably didn't matter since she couldn't communicate with the apple, but Estelle still felt strange not even introducing herself. "Do you have a name?"

 _Chirp!_

Should have seen that coming. Estelle hummed in thought. "Okay, how about I call you...Squirtle?"

The apple stopped dead in its tracks, staring up at her in a way that screamed _oh hell no_. Dude may not have eyebrows, but she could feel the shade pouring off of its little body, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Okayyy, scratch that," she said. "Moon? Jay? Berry?"

Blank, solemn stare.

"Nevermind," she sighed, and they began to walk again. The world continued to shift under their feet, but her new friend didn't hesitate or waver from the path. She wished she could talk to it. She was dying to know where they were, where they were going, what kind of creature it was, what kind of creature had attacked her. What the hell was going on.

They didn't run into any more mist monsters on their way to the valley. In fact, they didn't run into anything – which was unnerving in its own right. No more apple creatures, no wildlife, no ambient noise... nothing. It was like this vast landscape was completely devoid of life aside from the two of them, and that freaked her out almost as much as obvious danger did.

So, she talked. Prattled on about unimportant bullshit, asked the apple questions to provoke a chirped response, anything to fill the silence. The small talk helped ground her, helped keep her mind from cracking under the weight of the impossibilities she'd seen today. She was probably going through shock, but as long as it kept her upright and moving forward, that was good enough for now. She'd deal with the fallout later.

Eventually they valley narrowed, the craggy rock faces on either side of them pushing in until the path was no wider than a highway. The noise of the waterfall grew louder, and as they approached a fork in the road Estelle could finally see it – the same tiered rock formation as before, water gently cascading down to form a beautiful little pond. It was like an oasis in the desert, lush and green against the drab rock and dirt of the gorge, and Estelle excitedly began to move towards it.

A tug at her hand made her pause. Estelle glanced down at her apple friend in confusion, only to see it shaking its body back and forth in protest.

 _Chirp!_

One slim arm pointed in the opposite direction of the fork, down a similar dirt path with no discernible ending. Estelle frowned. The apple obviously knew the way better than her, but she couldn't help but be drawn towards the waterfall. It was the only thing that felt real here, something tangible and solid and _alive_ in this hazy wonderland she was trapped in.

"Are you sure...?" she asked, eyeing the road doubtfully.

 _Chirp!_

Estelle sighed, casting a final longing glance towards the waterfall before turning to follow her friend. She trusted the apple, and she'd go where it told her to, but still...

"Estelle!"

 _That voice..._

She vaguely recognized the apple chirping behind her, but Estelle was already sprinting for the waterfall, heart pounding in her throat as she frantically scanned the oasis. Finally she saw him, stepping out from the brush at the base of the waterfall, eyes wide and expression tight with confusion and worry.

 _Sebastian._

His arms opened and she crashed into them, nearly knocking them both over in her haste. They clung to each other desperately as she buried her face in his chest, his warmth and scent filling her with a relief so powerful she nearly sobbed with it.

"Shh, it's okay. It's going to be okay," he murmured against the top of her head, tightening his arms around her until it was nearly painful. "I'm here now."

Estelle pulled back just a fraction, just enough to look up into his face. "But...how?" she asked, a thousand questions beginning to form in her mind. How did he find her? How did he get here? What had happened while she was gone?

"I followed you," he replied with a shrug, bringing one hand up to lightly trail his fingers down her cheek. "I'd never leave you, Estelle."

Estelle's breath caught, her heart sputtering into overdrive at his gentle touch, his gentle words. He'd never done anything like this before, and part of her was afraid to hope it meant what she wanted it to mean.

"I um...I don't..." she stammered, her words melting away as he tilted her head up to gaze into her eyes. The need she found there nearly brought her to her knees, wiped all rational thought away. There was no more fear, no more confusion. There was only him.

Estelle let her eyes flutter closed as his lips pressed softly against hers.


	4. From Bad to Worse

If someone had told Sebastian a few hours ago that he'd be prying conversation out of a stranger, he'd laugh in their face. People pried conversation out of him, not the other way around. It was a testament to how ass backwards everything was that as they walked, Seb peppered Tai with question after question, ignoring her long-suffering sighs and annoyed glances. He needed information, and she was his only way of acquiring it.

Luckily for him, she seemed to know her shit. At his endless prodding, she eventually gave him the cliff notes on what the hell this place was all about. Core of all magic, home to magical creatures, how he shouldn't be here if he wanted to live...you know, the basics. But what interested him the most, aside from her assurances that they were going the right way, was her explanation of the other types of magical creatures that existed in this realm. While it made sense that there were more species than Junimos here, he hadn't seen anything else in his travels so far, and he wanted to know more.

"Every spirit is affiliated with an element," Tai explained as Sebastian ducked under a low-hanging tree branch. The forest was beginning to thin out now, the gaps between the trees large enough that he could now see a barren, rocky plain in the distance. It wouldn't be long before they reached it, and he was glad for the change of scenery. This forest was too easy to get lost in.

"We all come from the spirit realm, but elementals with a tangible affinity can cross into the physical realm. Junimos, mermaids, sylphs – y'know, earth, water, air."

Sebastian didn't know how he was capable of being surprised anymore, but apparently he was. "Mermaids? Really?" he said, images of seashell bras and unfortunately named singing crabs flashing through his mind.

Tai pulled a face. "Stay away from mermaids kid. Half of them will drown you for sport."

"And the other half?"

"They'll fuck you, then drown you," she said with a smirk.

"Right..." he replied, shaking his head. Apparently the cartoon had taken a few liberties. "What about the ones that don't have a tangible affinity?"

Tai's lips pressed together into a thin line. "Avatars of darkness and light. They fancy themselves gods of this place. More like demons," she scoffed.

At Sebastian's curious stare she continued. "They have the power to manipulate this realm however they see fit – the geography, the weather...even their own form. But in return they can't leave without a host, and they've got a serious chip on their shoulder over it."

"A...host?" he repeated, really hoping that didn't mean what he thought it meant.

"An empty body to inhabit. Crazy wizards will sometimes offer theirs up, but usually it's just some stupid human who stayed here a little too long," she replied, glancing at him meaningfully.

He ignored her insinuation. "So, what, they steal our body and we're stuck here instead?"

Tai snorted. "They can't just sneak into your body dude," she said, throwing him a look that screamed _idiot._ "You have to agree to give it up. Or be forced to. Either way, the elemental has to merge with your spirit to gain access to your physical form, so...no. You don't get stuck here. You cease to exist."

Sebastian couldn't help the small sigh of relief that escaped his lips, despite her ominous words. Estelle would never agree to give up her body, and she'd definitely fight anyone who tried to force her. The danger was still incredibly high considering how powerful these elementals seemed to be, but at least there wasn't an hourglass looming over their heads the way he initially believed. She wouldn't just die because the clock struck midnight, like a some kind of macabre Cinderella.

"Don't get too comfy kid. While lesser spirits can be fought off easily enough, there's a reason that the greater forms of Darkness and Light rule this realm. They're masters of manipulation and deception," Tai said, her face darkening with anger. "And trust me, if they can get one over on me, your girlfriend doesn't stand a chance."

Sebastian opened his mouth to ask what they'd done to her, but when he saw her expression he closed it again. She clearly did not want to discuss it, and he could respect that. She didn't owe him her life story.

More importantly, her words reminded him of what the wizard had said before he left. _"You'll be able to see through the deceptions."_ Had he been referring to these elementals when he said that? Did that mean Sebastian could fight them?

Tai paused as they finally broke through the tree line, a vast expanse of rocky cliffs and gorges before them. "Alright, well, this is as far as I can lead you," she said bluntly.

His jaw nearly dropped open, the abrupt declaration ripping him out of his train of thought. _"What?"_

"The girl's here somewhere, but I can't pinpoint her exact location. Her energy is bouncing all over the place, and I don't know her well enough to narrow it down," she said, shrugging her shoulders before giving him a sly smile. "But I suspect you do."

Yeah, he knew her. He'd been infatuated with her for months. He could pick out the sound of her breathing from a fucking lineup. But still... "How is that supposed to help me find her, exactly?"

"Close your eyes and listen."

Sebastian shot her a look of disbelief, but did as he was told. Nothing. Not even the normal background sounds of life – leaves rustling in the breeze, insects chirping, cell phones going off. The only sound he heard was that of his own blood rushing through his veins, and he opened his eyes again with a furrowed brow.

"No, idiot. Not with your ears," Tai reprimanded him before he had a chance to argue. "This isn't like the physical world. Think about her, the energy and life she gives off, the way she makes you feel – and _listen."_

Sebastian sighed sharply, trying to push down his immediate negativity saying this was stupid and would never work. He needed it to work, needed to believe it would work. He didn't have the luxury of pessimism right now.

Forcing his mind to clear out the bullshit, he closed his eyes and called up an image of Estelle. She was sitting on the couch with him, close enough that he could smell the herbal, slightly fruity scent of the shampoo she used, feel the the sunshine radiating off of her skin like it lived inside of her. He followed the curve of her lips in his mind, pulled up in slight amusement at whatever they were watching on the laptop, glistening slightly when her tongue poked out to moisten them. She tilted her head and suddenly those vibrant emerald eyes were locked onto his, piercing straight to his core, leaving him bare and exposed and absolutely desperate to have her.

Sebastian's eyes flew open as he felt a tugging in his chest, a nearly indescribable _pull_ that he knew immediately was her. The strength of it surprised him. He was so drawn to her in the real world, but the magic of this place made it tangible somehow, like a string connecting them that yanked him forward before he could even register he was moving.

Tai smirked and followed as he led them towards a drop-off a short distance away. He wasn't sure if she was in the valley below or if they needed to cross over to the cliff on the other side, but he had absolutely no doubt that they were going the right way. This mystical bullshit might defy all logic and reason, but at least it was straightforward.

The tugging intensified as they approached the edge of the cliff, and Sebastian picked up his pace, his consideration for Tai's shorter stride flying out the window at the prospect of Estelle being near. He had just reached the edge when a voice called out from below.

"No, don't! It's a trap!"

It sounded like a young boy, and the voice held that slight melodic timber that told him it belonged to a Junimo. Sebastian's gaze locked in on the source of the sound...and his heart stopped.

He stood frozen, unable to move or think or breathe. It was like the world suddenly came screeching to a halt, like after everything he'd been through tonight his brain finally cracked. Because there in the valley below, Estelle was leaning up to kiss him.

The moment their lips touched, a silvery shimmer ran though 'him', and Sebastian snapped back into himself violently. That wasn't him – of course it wasn't, what the fuck was he even –

Tai's warning blared in his mind. _They're masters of deception. Your girlfriend doesn't stand a chance._

"Estelle!" he screamed.

* * *

Sam clenched his hand around Natalie's, forcing her to slow her pace. He felt her glance up at him in question, but he kept his eyes ahead, scanning the swamp around them for any signs of movement or danger. He didn't want to explain that he felt better having Linus and the dwarf taking point, that he wanted enough space between them so that Natalie could run if they were attacked. He didn't want to admit how fucking terrified he was right now.

They walked in silence through the dim, gloomy terrain. It was probably better that way – don't want to alert the witch or whatever else was down here to their presence – but Sam ached for something to cut through the quiet. It was too easy to fall into the trap of his own thoughts when no one was talking. Too easy to think about Estelle being kidnapped, about Sebastian collapsing in front of him...

Fuck. Stop. Just keep walking.

It wasn't long before they approached a small hut, nestled deep within the swamp. Linus paused, tilting his head at the structure with narrowed eyes.

"She's not here," he said, confusion evident in his voice.

"But the Junimo said..." Natalie began, before Linus cut her off.

"Not Estelle. Victoria. That power she was collecting...she must have used it to break the seal," he sighed, lips pressing into a grim line. "We need to get back to the tower."

Natalie shook her head, letting go of Sam's hand to march towards the hut. "We need Estelle first," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Sam jogged to catch up with her, giving her a soft push behind him when they reached the door.

The inside of the witch's hut was just as disturbing as the wizard's – more so, probably. Three towering machines lined the back wall, two gazing creepily down on them while the third slowly dissolved into a smoldering heap. An acrid scent filled the room, from the machine or from the cauldron in the corner, Sam wasn't sure – and in the middle of it all was a chalk circle, with Estelle's lifeless body lying in the center.

"Estelle!" Natalie called, running over to kneel beside her sister. Sam closed his eyes for a long moment, shoving down the panic and bile that rose up in his throat. He knew she wasn't dead, but it was still too much after seeing Sebastian the same way.

Natalie pressed her ear to Estelle's chest and then nodded, sighing in relief. "She's alive," she confirmed, and Sam let out the breath that was stuck in his chest. There was still hope. He had to hold on to that.

Sam scooped her body up, fumbling to get a solid grip without grabbing a handful of something inappropriate. She was floppy and awkward, and he was surprised by how much heavier she seemed to be since the last time he'd picked her up.

 _Dead weight._

He grit his teeth, angrily commanding himself to get it together. Apparently he hadn't realized how much Seb's pessimism had rubbed off on him. If this is how his best friend felt all the time, no wonder he was such a miserable fuck.

They hurried out of the swamp, worry and fear keeping their pace quick. Thoughts of the witch filled his mind – either coming back to the swamp or attacking the tower, he wasn't sure which was worse. Either way, they were in danger.

He had no idea how much worse it could get.

They saw it as soon as they stepped out of the railroad and onto the mountain pass. A swirling, churning vortex of magic hanging in the sky, clearly visible despite the lack of moonlight. It crackled with energy, bursts of light popping inside like lightning or firecrackers, the power of it thick in the air.

And it was positioned directly over Pelican Town.

"Oh, Yoba..." Natalie whispered, eyes wide with horror. Sam tightened his grip on Estelle, setting his jaw as a feeling of intense determination washed over him. That death cloud in the sky was all he needed to see. Not all of this vague, incomprehensible mystic fuckery making his head spin. Here was a real, tangible threat to the people he loved.

His fear didn't mean shit in the face of that.

"I'm going down there," he said.

Natalie turned to him in disbelief. "What? Sam, you can't..."

"My mom and Vince are right under that thing, Nat. I don't know what the fuck's going on, but I'm not abandoning them," he argued. "You take Estelle and head for the tower."

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm leaving you."

"Sam's right," Linus interjected, gaze focused on the mass in the sky. "She's tearing open a rift. We need to get the villagers to safety, and we need Rasmodius. Splitting up is our only option."

Natalie shook her head, eyes beginning to glisten with angry tears as she glared at them. "I'm not fucking leaving you!"

Sam held her gaze for a moment before laying Estelle down in the grass and pulling Natalie into his arms. He squeezed her tightly – too tight, probably – but she didn't object, clinging to him with the same ferocity.

"You have to help Seb and Estelle," Sam murmured into ear, pulling back to cup her cheek in his hand. "Please, Natalie. I need you to take care of them."

He watched the crystal blue of her eyes run through a dozen emotions before finally settling on resignation. "I will," she sighed, pressing her forehead to his. "But if you get hurt I'm going to beat the shit out of you."

"Deal."

He kissed her, a feverish crash of lips that didn't last nearly long enough, before picking Estelle back up and starting for the path to town.

Pelican Town was eerily quiet as the group made their way to the clinic. Sam wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but at least it was better than the screams and chaos he'd expected. Everyone must be hiding inside, he decided. He wouldn't let himself consider any other possibility for their absence.

It was harder to maintain that stance once they got to the clinic and realized that Harvey wasn't there, or in his apartment above. They'd come here for a reason though, and Sam chose to ignore the growing pit of restlessness in his stomach as he found a wheelchair and sat Estelle down, using the velcro straps along it to secure her upright. Natalie and Linus scrambled to gather first aid supplies, while the dwarf watched for any signs of change in the rift.

Sam was raiding the exam room for sterile gauze when he heard an ear-splitting crack from outside, the sound shaking the walls and causing every nerve in his body to stand on edge. He raced back to the lobby, where the dwarf was yelling in her strange language, pointing wildly at the scene unfolding in the town square.

A wide, jagged crack now split the writhing mass, a pool of inky blackness within. Thin tendrils of mist snaked out from the edges, like smoke from a dying campfire, and then he saw it – a black lump collapsed on the ground below the rift, slowly rising to its feet.

Sam held his breath as he took in the creature – vaguely human-shaped, with the edges of its body blurred like they were made of shadow itself – but then it raised its head and all the air whooshed out of his lungs. Hateful, glowing eyes locked on his, and the monster charged.

 _"Kohota!"_ Linus yelled, shoving past Sam and throwing a hand up in front of him. The earth itself responded to his command, the cobblestone street crumbling away as a wall of rock and dirt rose up to block the creature's attack. Sam heard it growl in anger, a menacing, otherworldly noise, and claws scraped against rock as it struggled against the barrier. Linus closed his fist and pulled, and the wall collapsed, crushing the monster and dragging it deep into the ground below.

Sam stared at the spot for a second that felt like a lifetime, before Natalie's small, terrified voice brought him back.

"The rift..."

His gaze flicked back up to the sky in time to see a shimmering flash of magic run across the surface of the rift. Two red slimes dropped out, bouncing as they hit the ground below.

"Get Estelle and run. I'll hold them off," he said, taking a step out of the building to put himself between the creatures and his girlfriend. Shadow monsters might be beyond him, but slimes – slimes he could handle.

He half expected her to argue as his gaze met hers, but the gravity of the situation had hit all of them like a ton of bricks. Gripping the handles of the wheelchair with sweaty palms, Natalie nodded firmly and took off for the tower, not letting herself look back.

Shoving his sleeves up, Sam took a purposeful step towards the slimes, before a firm hand on his arm pulled him back. His brow narrowed as he looked to the dwarf, staring at him with her strange, unreadable eyes as she nodded towards Linus.

Sam followed her gaze to the old man, bent down with his forehead bowed low, mumbling incantations under his breath. Before he could figure out what was happening, Linus slammed his palms on the ground.

 _"Seina!"_

The earth bent to his will once more, erecting a thick circular barrier around the square, trapping the slimes – and anything else that happened to fall out of the rift – inside. Linus pulled himself to his feet, weary lines of exhaustion crinkling his weathered face.

"It won't hold long. Arm yourself, and protect the villagers," he said, reminding Sam more of his military man father than the amicable old hippie from earlier. "I'll bring Rasmodius."

"Got it. Keep my girls safe," Sam replied, looking nervously at Natalie's retreating form. Linus gave him a reassuring nod and followed, leaving Sam to fight alone.

Well – not totally alone. He glanced down at the dwarf, fiddling with a small red bomb in her hands, looking for all the world like she was _bored..._ and he couldn't help the choked, terrified laugh that bubbled up in his chest. The two of them had to be the least qualified individuals to play Big Damn Hero, but here we were.

The dwarf met his gaze with a tilt of her head, and Sam exhaled heavily, plastering a smirk on his face that looked far more confident than he felt.

"So, you ready to blow some shit up?"

* * *

His kiss was heaven.

Estelle never knew it could be like this. Her love for Sebastian overwhelmed her senses, flooding her system with a blissful satisfaction that pushed out everything else. She let herself drown in it, gladly surrendering her reality to the feel of him pressed against her. For one incredible moment it didn't matter that she was lost in some magic realm, that a witch was out for her blood, that she had no idea what to do next. She had him, and everything was perfect.

She'd needed this for so long.

The kiss escalated quickly, turning into something frantic, something hungry. The softness of his lips became nearly punishing, bruising in their desperation to claim hers. It was a dizzying contradiction, leaving Estelle's knees weak and heart sputtering. The tip of his tongue traced a scorching line along her bottom lip, demanding entry to her mouth. A soft whine escaped the back of her throat in response to his need, sudden heat pooling in her core as her lips began to part...

"Estelle!"

 _...Sebastian?_

The panic in his voice cut through the dazed fog in her mind as effectively as a slap to the face. Estelle's eyes flew open, pulling back from the kiss and whirling her head towards the sound. Sebastian was here, right in front of her, but she _knew_ that voice. It made no sense, but Estelle frantically scanned the cliffs for the source anyway.

"Estelle, run!"

Her gaze snapped to his, and all the breath in her lungs exited in a whoosh. There was no mistaking it – that was Sebastian, leaning over a cliff at least 20 feet above her. His eyes were wide and half-crazed with fear, and a sense of dread washed over her as she realized he was looking at her the way you'd look at someone about to be hit by a truck. That he'd been screaming at her to run.

A hand clamped down on her wrist and she turned slowly, blood frozen in her veins. His face was a smooth, blank mask, looking down at her with a coldness that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Sebastian would never look at her like that – like an ant beneath his heel.

"You're...not real..." she whispered, taking a step backwards as fear set in. His grip tightened, those perfect lips she'd been kissing only a moment ago pressed into a thin line.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm real," he argued, tugging her arm. His frown deepened when she didn't budge, and yanked again roughly until she stumbled forward into his embrace.

"Let go of me!" she cried, struggling to free herself from his grasp. His fingers were like iron, digging painfully into her flesh, and there was no chance of prying them off. Instead she twisted her body, desperately trying to land a kick or punch, but it was no use. He shrugged off her attacks as easily as if she were a toddler throwing a tantrum.

"Fine. You want to do it the hard way?" he snapped, eyes glinting darkly. Despite knowing that this _thing_ wasn't Sebastian, seeing his face glaring at her with such unchecked malice made her breath catch. One strong hand grabbed her jaw, holding her face immobile as his lips descended on hers once more.

Estelle heard Sebastian yelling something, but she couldn't make out the words over her pulse thudding in her ears, her own angry sounds of resistance. He devoured her mouth in a violent crash of lips and teeth, not so much a kiss as an assault on her face. The hand on her jaw tightened, applying pressure to the pivot points as if to pry it open, and Estelle grit her teeth to deny him the access to her mouth that he clearly desired.

The thing wearing Sebastian's face growled in frustration and grabbed a fistful of her hair, tilting her head to a more advantageous angle as he deepened the "kiss". Estelle used her newly freed arm to fight back, hitting and clawing at every part of his body she could reach, but her efforts only seemed to spur him on. His teeth broke through the skin of her bottom lip, the coppery taste of blood seeping into her mouth, and for one desperate moment she realized she might not be able to get away.

 _Chirp chirp chirp!_

The impostor pulled back as a ball of magic nailed him in the back of the head, exploding in a shower of silver sparks that she immediately recognized. Everything had happened so fast that Estelle had forgotten a very important point – she wasn't alone.

He turned to glare angrily over his shoulder, and Estelle took the opportunity her apple friend opened for her. Curling her hand into a fist, she slammed it into his exposed throat as hard as she could.

Somehow, it was enough. He sputtered and coughed, hands instinctively releasing Estelle to go to his throat as he doubled over in pain. She bolted before he had a chance to recover, sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her towards the apple. He chirped urgently at her, pointing to a narrow pathway through the rock walls surrounding them. Estelle grabbed his hand to run, but he pulled it back, forming another ball of magic to throw.

A quick glance showed that her attacker was starting to straighten back up, and despite wanting nothing more than to get the fuck out of there, she hesitated. Whatever that thing was, it was powerful, and she couldn't just leave her friend to get hurt covering for her.

Fake-Sebastian's enraged gaze met hers, hot and intense and so full of hate it was nearly lethal – but the thing that made her heart skip was how, for just a split-second, the dark depths of his eyes flashed with an otherworldly, silver gleam. He raised a hand and a dozen or more lustrous white apparitions appeared, sharp and smooth as icicles, floating behind him like an army awaiting his command. Estelle made a snap decision and, ignoring the apple's chirps of protest, plucked it off the ground and carried it as she ran.

Estelle gasped as a soft whistling sound whizzed by her ear, a pit forming in her stomach as she watched one of the magical arrows crash to the ground, shattering like glass.

 _Oh, Yoba._

Another arrow narrowly missed as a strong wind whipped around them, the sky darkening rapidly like an approaching summer thunderstorm. This was the first display of weather since she'd arrived, and it couldn't be a coincidence. She pumped her legs faster as the light faded, winding through the labyrinth of rock, taking sharp turns and squeezing through narrow crevices in an attempt to lose her pursuer.

The thought crossed her mind that losing him meant losing Sebastian too. She hadn't had a chance to look back to the cliff she saw him on before taking off. What if that creature went after him instead? How would they find each other again?

Had it really been him?

Estelle yelped as an arrow grazed her upper arm, ripping her out of her thoughts and into the present. First, escape. Sparing the half second to look behind her, a tiny smirk crossed her face when she saw that somehow she'd gained ground on her attacker. He might be infinitely more powerful, but she was clearly faster.

Banking a sharp right, Estelle spotted a small hole carved into the base of the rock face further down the path, nearly hidden by shadow in the fading light. If she could make it before he turned the corner, she might have a shot at shaking him off.

Gritting her teeth against the burn in her legs, she booked it for the hole, nearly throwing the apple inside before taking a final peek behind her. Clear. In one smooth motion Estelle dropped to the ground and swung her legs in, only realizing too late that there was no floor under her toes. Her momentum carried her through, and Estelle fell into the earth.


	5. Calm Before the Storm

Sam wasted no time, running for the back alley shortcut to his house as soon as Linus took off. His first priority was finding his mom and Vince before the barricade failed. The second was arming himself, which conveniently fell right in line with the first – after all, what better place to pick up weapons than the home of a decorated Ferngill soldier?

The dwarf hung back to guard the barrier, lazily tossing her little red grenade in the air and catching it like it was a hacky sack instead of an explosive. Sam still didn't know what to make of her – up until about an hour ago he'd thought dwarves were just a myth – but he had to give her props for how calm she seemed to be. Like a magical assault on the town was just another Tuesday night. No big deal.

Interestingly, some of that calmness had rubbed off on him as well. Sure, deep down he was pants-shittingly terrified, but he knew what he had to do and he was going to do it. It was as simple as that. He wondered if that's how his dad had made it through his tours in the Gotoro Empire – just keep focused on the job, don't let emotions get in the way.

Never in his life did Sam think he would be comparing himself to his father, but then again this night was full of things that didn't make any sense.

"Mom! Vince!" he yelled as he burst through the unlocked front door to his house. To his dismay, nothing but silence answered him. Stomach in knots, he peeked into each of the rooms, praying he wouldn't find them hurt – or worse.

To his profound relief, the house was empty. Of course, that spurred an entirely different set of worries – if they weren't here, where were they? – but one thing at a time. Sam crossed his parents' room, opening the door to the walk-in closet and the weaponry he knew was inside.

He'd always thought his dad was neurotic for keeping a gun cabinet in sleepy little Pelican Town, but well...

Sam rapidly punched in the code to the locker – 1011, his mom's birthday. Rather than the click he expected, large red letters filled the display. Invalid entry? What?

He tried it again, more carefully this time. It had to be a typo – Dad hadn't changed that code for the last twenty years. Even after Sam learned it as a young teen, Kent had argued that he was old enough to know. After all, it was his job to protect the family while his dad was deployed.

Pretty sure vengeful witches and monsters weren't what Kent had in mind when he'd said that, but still.

A harsh electronic buzzing filled the room as Sam pressed the green enter button. Invalid entry. Cursing under his breath, Sam tried Vince's birthday next, then his own. No dice. Jodi must have changed it to keep his younger brother out. Growing increasingly desperate with each error message that flashed across the screen, he punched in every combination he could think of. 0304 – Invalid. 5634 – Invalid. 1234 – Invalid.

Sam growled in frustration, slamming his fists against the cabinet. The village was under attack and one stupid combination was keeping him from the literal arsenal stashed in his house. How was he supposed to protect anyone without a…

A thought struck him, and Sam abandoned the useless cabinet, heading for his bedroom to rummage through his own closet instead. Flinging aside heaps of clothes, CD's, and crumpled looseleaf, he eventually found what he was looking for – an aluminum baseball bat from his little league days.

It was no handgun, but it was something at least.

Armed as much as he could be, Sam exited his house – and ducked just in time to avoid getting his face smashed in.

"Holy shit dude, you scared me!" Alex yelped, his voice an octave or two higher than it normally was. He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry man, with all this hole-in-the-sky bullshit I'm a little on edge."

"You and me both," Sam replied, waving off the apology. He was just glad to see a friendly face in this ghost town, even if that face was trying to take his head off with three pounds of solid maple. Alex was the little league home run champ after all.

He held up his own bat with a wry grin, and Alex choked out a laugh.

"Go Stardew Strikers," he quipped, before nodding towards the rift overhanging the square. "Any idea what the fuck that thing is?"

"Magic," Sam said bluntly. A full explanation would waste time they didn't have, and Alex probably wouldn't believe him anyway. Hell, he barely believed it himself. "Whatever it is, it's raining monsters, and the barrier isn't going to hold much longer. Anyone who can fight needs to get ready to."

To his immense surprise, Alex simply nodded, like he didn't doubt a single word of that explanation. "I know man, I saw them when I came back for Gramps. Look, half the town's holed up in the old community center. You should head up there – your mom's going batshit worrying about you."

Sam nearly sagged with relief upon hearing news of his family. If his mom was there, so was Vince – she'd never let him out of her sight in a crisis. "Alright, yeah. You said half the town...what about the rest of them?"

Alex pressed his lips together, uncharacteristically serious. "That's why I'm out here. There's a bunch of stragglers – you and your girl, Stelle, Emily, Penny..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "Robin was there, but then she dipped to look for your boy. Shit's chaos man; I'm trying to wrangle everyone up. Strength in numbers or whatever."

While he was thankful that the reason for the town's desertion was that they were in hiding, Sam couldn't help but be deflated by the news that so many were missing. What was Emily or Penny going to do in a fight? Once that barrier broke, they were sitting ducks.

"Alright. Don't worry about Seb, Nat, or Estelle – focus on finding the others," Sam ordered, channeling some of the authority his dad always tried to impart upon him. For the first time in his life, he was uniquely equipped to take charge of the situation, and fuck if he was going to blow it when it actually mattered. "Get everyone to the community center. We're going to make our stand there."

Alex grinned, flipping his bat in one hand. "That's what I wanted to hear."

Sam was three strides away when Alex called back to him, voice uncertain. "You said not to worry about Stelle...is she cool?"

It was hard to lie to Alex, hearing the genuine concern in his voice. Sure, he hoped Estelle was okay, but there were no guarantees. For any of them, really.

"Yeah," Sam said through his teeth. "Sebastian is taking care of her."

Alex's eyebrows narrowed, but thankfully he didn't argue. "Alright man. As long as she's okay," he said, shooting him a meaningful glance. It basically said _I will fuck you up if she gets hurt._ Not that Sam could do anything with that information. Estelle's fate was in Sebastian's hands, for better or worse.

For better, he told himself as he headed towards the community center. Seb loved that girl more than anything, would do whatever it took to save her. Sam had to believe she was okay. That they both were.

 _Yoba, please let them be okay._

* * *

"It's not me! Get out of there!" Sebastian screamed, eyes wide with panic as the demon wearing his face devoured Estelle's mouth. He saw her confusion, her struggle, the way she flinched in pain as a thin line of blood ran down her chin. He'd broken the trance Estelle was under, and now the imposter was trying to steal her body by force.

She was fighting for her life, and he could do nothing but watch.

"Help her!" Sebastian demanded, turning on Tai like she could end this at any moment. She couldn't, he knew that, but he was out of options. Estelle was out of options.

Tai made a noise of annoyance, rubbing her hands together until power grew between them. As soon as the young Junimo below released his attack, Tai released hers, hitting the apparition hard enough that he released his grip on Estelle.

Estelle didn't miss a beat as she drew back and punched "him" in the throat, without hesitation, without second guessing herself. She took off down a path out of his sight, and he hesitated, torn between the instinct to follow her and the desire to protect her from the demon raising his hand to attack.

Tai decided for him. "I'll slow him down. Go. Go!" she insisted, forming another ball of magic between her hands and flinging it into the gorge below.

The spirit finally noticed them then, bearing his teeth in a fierce snarl as his eyes narrowed on Sebastian. Two of the magical arrows that were following Estelle turned on a dime, hurtling towards him instead. His body froze, the adrenaline that should have propelled him into fight or flight instead pinning him like a deer in the headlights.

"Dammit Sebastian, fuck off!" Tai snapped, releasing magic from her palms once more – in his direction. The impact knocked him off his feet, tumbling ass-over-head down the slope behind them, until he crashed into a patch of scraggly bushes near the bottom.

Rubbing his sore tailbone, Sebastian dragged himself to his feet, looking around to try to gain his bearings. He'd rolled farther than he thought – he couldn't see Tai, or the oasis, or any indication which way Estelle had run. The sky was growing darker by the second, a powerful gust of wind whipping his hair around his face, and he growled in frustration at once again finding himself lost in this fucked up place.

Stalking off in the direction he thought he should go, Sebastian couldn't help but replay the scene he'd just witnessed. Not the part where he'd almost been skewered by magic arrows, or Estelle fighting a pervy demon, but right before that. The part where she'd been kissing him. Well, not him, but...close enough. She'd thought it was him, anyway.

It made him sick to his stomach to think of someone – some _thing_ – manipulating her that way, but he'd be lying if there wasn't a part of him that was secretly thrilled by witnessing firsthand that she wanted him. It was one thing to hear it from Natalie, but it was another to see it with his own eyes. It was far too easy to envision that it had actually been him - his arms wrapped around her, his lips pressed to hers. She'd looked so happy.

A soft tug in his chest broke through his ill-timed reverie, brought him back to himself. It was gentle but firm, insistent. Like a string pulling him the opposite way...

 _Estelle._

Eyes going wide with realization, Sebastian took off in the direction of the feeling, letting it guide him through the maze of rock. Each time it would fade he'd think of her, her eyes, her scent, the feeling of her hand in his, and the tugging would grow stronger again, filling his heart with a warmth that pushed out all his fear and trepidation. That had to mean she was okay, right? If she wasn't, there would be nowhere for the bond to take him.

It led him to the mouth of a cave, dug deep into the rock face. Sebastian pulled out his cell phone, shining the flashlight into the darkness before him. It looked fairly standard issue inside, the kind he and Sam used to play in as kids – damp earthen floor, jagged rock formations, the smell of moss and stale air. Crouching down to fit through the low ceiling, Sebastian cautiously made his way through, silently praying that his phone battery didn't die halfway. The feeling in his chest intensified the deeper he went, and he moved faster in anticipation of finally finding Estelle.

Until he came to a dead end.

Sebastian pressed his hands to the thick slab of rock blocking his path, muscles straining as he tried in vain to shove it out of the way. It didn't budge, not even a millimeter, but he kept trying anyway, desperation stealing his logic from him. His arms shook with effort until finally he collapsed against the stone, sliding down until he landed on the ground with a heavy thump. She was past here, he knew it, he could feel it – and he couldn't get to her.

Angry, frustrated tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Why did he ever think he'd be able to save her? He was weak and useless – fuck, he was the one who almost got her killed in the first place. His likeness, used as bait. He wasn't a hero – he was a liability. A failure.

 _Cheer up emo kid,_ her voice played in his head.

Sebastian took a deep breath, scrubbing his hands over his face as he forced his brain to start working again. If Estelle was through here that meant there had to be another entrance, another way around. He scrambled to his feet, intent on finding it, when an unexpected sound made him freeze.

Voices.

He listened intently, unsure if they were real or just a product of his nerves being totally shot. A second later he heard it again – two voices, faint but getting closer. One sounded angry, the other pleading, but they both held that melodious lilt that he'd come to recognize belonged to the Junimos.

"Hey!" he called, shining his light around the cavern. "Over here!"

The conversation stopped for a moment, then...

"ANOTHER ONE?" a female voice screeched, somehow reminding him of his mother when she was angry. "It's bad enough that there's one human passed out in our bunker, now you brought a second one in?"

"I-I didn't bring it!" a boy insisted, "I've been with her the whole time!"

"Like that's any better! Dammit Jace, you see one pretty girl and all of a sudden you're fighting a freaking lord of light for her! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Aw c'mon, it's not like that. He was gonna take her body, what else did you want me to do?"

She made a noise of disgust in the back of her throat, a sound that was so at odds with her twinkling voice it was almost comical. "Ugh – teenagers," she groaned, squeezing through a tiny hole in the rock face to appear before Sebastian.

"Well at least this one isn't a girl," the little purple apple snapped, putting her slim hands on her – well, wherever her hips would be. She looked him up and down and smirked. "Still pretty though."

Sebastian raised a brow. "Uh, thanks..." he muttered, looking away awkwardly. "Hey, can you..."

"Wait, you can understand me?!" she squeaked, jumping backwards a step in surprise. "I didn't...you weren't supposed to..."

A sputtering laugh came from behind her as a blue Junimo stepped through the hole. "Nice going sis," he teased, lips stretched into a wide grin. When he met Sebastian's gaze, however, his eyes widened in recognition – and fear. "Wait, you're…!"

"The real one," Sebastian assured him, putting two and two together. This was the Junimo he'd seen earlier, the one who was protecting Estelle – which means that the 'passed out human' was...

"You were with Estelle, right? Can you take me to her?"

The blue Junimo – Jace, if he'd heard correctly – eyed him suspiciously. "Prove you're not just tricking me," he demanded, crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively.

Sebastian opened his mouth to ask how the hell he was supposed to prove that, when the purple Junimo cut in.

"Well he hasn't killed us yet, and that's proof enough for me," she scoffed, her embarrassment seemingly forgotten as she strode across the room towards him. "C'mon human, I'll take you to her – on the condition you both get the hell out of here before you bring us any more trouble."

Sebastian nodded, and watched with barely contained anticipation as the Junimo stepped up to the slab of rock he'd been pushing and wiped it off, revealing a small, subtle rune carved into the stone. Pressing her hand to it, she muttered something under her breath, and the markings flashed with a soft green glow in response. The wall began to shift, a loud grinding noise filling the cavern, until finally a crack opened that was wide enough for them to step through.

"Estelle!" Sebastian called out, stumbling over his own feet in his haste to get to her. Cold fear set in when she didn't open her eyes, limp and unresponsive as she lay in the center of the room.

"Estelle, wake up!" he pleaded, kneeling down to pull her into his arms. She was warm, and breathing – and here, he reminded himself. He'd found her. _He'd found her._

"She smacked her head when she fell through," Jace explained, pointing to a thin hole high above them, where fresh air was venting into the space. "That's why I went to find Rissa – she knows how to heal."

"And I'm only doing it to get you all out of my face," Rissa insisted, pushing Jace aside as she stepped up Estelle. She began to hum a complicated melody, closing her eyes as she doodled a seemingly random pattern along Estelle's forehead with one tiny finger. For some reason it reminded him of Emily and the crazy shit she did while tripping, but he didn't question it. The fact that they were here in the first place felt like a bad trip, so who was he to judge?

The song finished and Rissa stepped back, a smug look on her face. One second passed, then two, and just when Sebastian was about to question how long it would take, Estelle's eyes fluttered open, locking on his.

Sebastian grinned, relief flooding through him so powerfully he felt like he was floating – until Estelle's face twisted in horror, shrieking as she bolted out of his lap and moved to run.

"Wait, Estelle it's me!" he called, catching hold of her wrist to stop her. She twisted her arm violently, digging her fingernails into his hand until he let go and held his palms up in surrender.

"I swear it's me this time! Please believe me," he pleaded, internally cursing himself for being such an idiot. 'He' had just tried to gnaw her fucking face off – of course she was going to be afraid of him. "Let me prove it to you."

That seemed to give her pause. She turned slowly, eyeing him with distrust but no longer actively trying to run. "And how do you plan on doing that?" she asked warily.

 _Good question._

"We stayed up til 2 last night eating stale cookies and watching some old school vampire musical," he offered, deciding no one else could know that but them. "Right after I moved in one of my t-shirts got mixed in with your towels and turned them all light purple. You've been listening to the same three songs on repeat for the past week, and laughed when you caught me humming one of them."

He was rambling now, throwing out any random fact that popped up in his head, but he didn't know what else to do. Estelle's eyes softened a bit, like she wanted to believe, but when she opened her mouth to reply she was cut off by Rissa's exasperated groan.

"If he wasn't real he would have killed you by now! Geez, why does no one get that?" she said, annoyance pouring off her in waves. Estelle turned towards the junimos, and her eyes sparkled with recognition when they landed on the blue one.

"...Squirtle?"

"It's Jace..." he replied with a sigh, but Estelle wasn't paying attention, her gaze locked on Sebastian once more.

"So then...you really are..." she whispered, voice thick with emotion. Sebastian just smiled and shrugged, hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets to keep from reaching out for her again. A tiny, choked sob escaped her throat as she threw herself at him so suddenly he barely had time to catch her, crashing into his arms with such force they stumbled backwards.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she said, voice wavering as she tightened her grip on his neck.

"Me too," he replied honestly, closing his mouth before the emotions bursting in his chest threatened to turn him into a blubbering idiot. She stared up at him, eyes red and glassy, dried blood on her chin, covered in dirt and bruises – and Sebastian swore he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.

"Estelle, I..."

A loud cracking sound cut him off, bits of rubble skittering along the ground as the cavern shook with the force of it. They all turned toward the vent to the outside, where blinding streaks of lightning flashed in rapid succession, the wind picking up enough to reach them inside the earth.

"It's him…" Jace murmured, taking an unconscious step closer to his sister.

Estelle paled, and Sebastian squeezed her tighter, trying his best to be reassuring despite the fact that he lacked a plan entirely. Whatever happened, he wasn't going to let that thing have her, that much he was sure of. He'd give up his own body first.

"Son of a...this is all your fault!" Rissa snapped at Jace, though her words lacked their typical venom. "If you would have just minded your own business, then we – "

"Aww cut the kid some slack Riss," a breathless voice chastised from behind them, effectively ending the other girl's rant. Sebastian whirled around, nearly laughing with relief when he saw the familiar red face.

"Tai! Where did you...how did you find us?"

She grinned, crossing the room with a slight, but noticeable limp. "Creepy fairy magic," she drawled sarcastically. "Well, I've got some good news, some bad news, and some really bad news – which do you want first?"

Estelle looked from Sebastian to Tai and back again. "Wait – you can understand them?" she said in astonishment.

"Yeah, I drank this potion… it's a long story," Sebastian explained briefly, shaking his head before turning back to Tai. "I'm guessing the bad news is that we've been found?"

"Huh? Oh, the storm," Tai said, glancing up at the lightning still flashing outside. "Nah, this one's on me, not Mr. Face-Snatcher. He doesn't know we're here. Yet."

They all breathed a collective sigh of relief, and she continued.

"Anyway, the bad news is that he posted himself up in front of your portal. If you two are going home, you'll need to get through him first."

Sebastian exhaled heavily. "And how is that not the really bad news?"

Tai shrugged as she plopped down on the floor and stretched her bum leg out. "Cuz he also summoned a dozen or so lesser elementals to camp out with him. Figured that was worse."

While the rest of them digested that information, Estelle knelt down in front of Tai, peering closely at her leg. Tai frowned. "Uh, what the hell is she doing?"

"Checking your wound, I guess?"

Estelle glanced up at him, then nodded. "It's bleeding pretty bad. I can wrap it up if it'll let me," she offered, moving to rip a piece of her shirt off to use as a bandage.

"Tell your girlfriend to keep her damn clothes on," Tai grumbled, waving her hand dismissively. "Riss?"

Rissa sighed dramatically, forming a soft, glowing golden ball in her hands as she approached. Estelle quickly stood to get out of her way, and Sebastian heard her mutter something that sounded like 'idiot' as she pushed the magic into Tai's leg.

"Ahhh, that's better," she said, testing the knee a few times before getting to her feet. "Anyway, you never asked what the good news was. I knew you were edgy but damn, taking it a little far aren't you?"

Sebastian shot her a look and she grinned. "The good news is that I have a plan."


	6. We All Fall Down

Estelle sat with her chin resting on her knees, only half listening to the conversation Sebastian was having with their apple allies. She wasn't much help anyway, seeing as she could only understand one of them, and now that the adrenaline was wearing off she was overcome with an exhaustion that seemed to seep into her very bones. Whether it was a side effect of this strange dimension or the repeated threats on her life, she wasn't sure, but all she wanted to do in that moment was curl up in Sebastian's arms and take a nap, danger be damned.

Instead she settled for just watching him, a soft smile playing at her lips. There was something different about him, she realized. She saw it in the set of his shoulders, in the way he spoke – like he'd gained some new confidence in himself, some reason to hold his head a little higher. It looked good on him.

Estelle reached out, brushing her fingers against his until he flipped his hand over and threaded their fingers together. He continued speaking with the apple, but she didn't miss the way his lips twitched into a smile at her touch, the way he kept stealing glances in her direction. She didn't know what they were exactly, but she knew that something fundamental had shifted between them. After all, you don't travel to an alternate dimension to save someone if they're just a roommate to you.

Speaking of…

"How did you find me anyway?" Estelle asked, knowing she was interrupting something important but unable to sit by quietly any longer. She wasn't a control freak, but being left out of the conversation entirely was making her extremely uncomfortable. "Where even are we?"

The little blue one chirped a few times, before seeming to remember she didn't know what it was saying and stopped.

"He said we're in one of the underground bunkers leftover from some ancient war. Some of the junimos live in them now," Sebastian translated with a shrug. The junimo chirped again, and Seb smirked. "And his name is Jace."

Oh. No wonder he was annoyed with her – she'd been calling him the same bullshit you'd name a puppy. "Hi Jace. Sorry about the nicknames," she said sincerely. He smiled and bounced, and she had the feeling all was forgiven.

By him, anyway. The purple one was glaring at her in annoyance, which she seemed to do every time Estelle opened her mouth. She didn't know what she did to piss this chick off, but it came as no surprise when she began to chirp rapidly at Sebastian, gesturing towards Estelle.

"She said it's a pain in the ass talking to you like this. She wants to cast a spell on you so you can understand them too."

As much as Estelle did want to understand them, she hesitated. "I uh...don't know if I'm good with that," she admitted, remembering the way Victoria's spells had stolen her memory, stolen her breath, stolen her consciousness. "The witch kind of turned me off to magical fuckery in my head."

The junimo snapped something, and Sebastian shot her a look before sighing in resignation. "She said her 'magical fuckery' was good enough to reverse your traumatic brain injury," he said in a way that made it pretty obvious that there was more to her statement than he'd provided. Still, she had a point.

"I guess that's true," Estelle agreed reluctantly. "Alright, well...if it's going to help us get out of here then do it."

The junimo looked incredibly smug as she approached, pressing her tiny fingers against Estelle's temples. She chirped a command, and Seb squeezed their still-linked hands reassuringly.

"Close your eyes," he murmured.

Estelle braced for pain, but thankfully none was forthcoming. Instead it just felt warm – a little too warm, perhaps, but still oddly comforting. The heat spread from her temples slowly, bringing with it a fuzzy numbness that Estelle typically associated with being one hit too stoned. The only discomfort she felt through the whole process was the sudden cold that hit her when the junimo finally removed her hands.

"There. Now we don't have to wait for the humans to play catch up," she said flippantly, shaking her arms out like they were tired.

"Can you understand me now Estelle?" Jace asked, voice almost painfully sweet. It was strange – her ears still heard the chirping, but her brain interpreted it as words, tone, inflection, all backed by a musical quality she'd never experienced before. It was nothing short of bizarre, but also incredibly cool.

"Yes!" she replied, grinning as she scooted towards him. "And I know I said it before, but now that we can actually communicate properly... thanks, Jace. For saving me."

"Oh, uh...no problem..." he muttered, looking off to the side bashfully. Estelle could have sworn she saw the shade of his skin darken, and she could barely contain the urge to reach out and pat his head indulgently. _Sentient, self-aware creatures,_ she reminded herself sternly. _Not pets._

" _Moving on..."_ Tai interjected impatiently, turning to Estelle. "Quick recap: there's a portal you need to go through to get out of this realm and back into yours. A Lord of Light – that thing that attacked you – retreated to guard the portal with a small army of lesser creatures under his command. The best plan we have right now is to disguise ourselves as fellow light elementals and sneak in right under their nose."

"And that's the part I don't get," Sebastian argued, shaking his head. "I thought you said they were masters of deception. So how are we going to do this without getting caught?"

Tai smiled thinly. "Because I can use their magic too."

That seemed to catch them all off guard. Rissa was the first to respond. "Wait, _what?_ Since when?"

"It doesn't matter."

The moment stretched on in silence, until eventually Tai sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. "Guess I can't ask you to trust me with your life without some kind of explanation, huh?"

She took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh, straightening her back as if in defiance of the words she was about to say. "So a few years ago I fucked up and fell in love with one of the Lords of Darkness. He loved me too, or so I thought."

"I know it's hard to believe, but there was a point in my life where I was young and dumb like you," she admitted, shooting Sebastian a wry smile. "I didn't realize he was just using me until it was too late. I let him...well, he _obtained access_ to my body, and now I can't go back to the physical realm on my own power. He stole that from me. But when he took my powers, I got some of his too – and now I can control this plane to an extent, just like them."

"So...yeah," she shrugged, looking uncharacteristically ashamed as she broke the stunned silence that followed her confession. "That's how I found you guys, and how I hid your location from him. I deceived him once, so pretty sure I can do it again."

Sebastian recovered first. "So if you had your body possessed...why are you still here? I thought you said it kills you?"

Estelle's head popped up at that. Wait, _possessed?_ She'd known that the demon they were fighting was up to some shady shit, but she hadn't pieced together that he'd been trying to straight up possess her. The gash on her lip throbbed with the memory of his desperation to enter her mouth, and she suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.

Tai smirked, the awkwardness fading as quickly as it came over her. "Sure, if you're a human. Different rules apply for magical creatures, champ."

Rissa threw her hands up in the air with a snort of disgust. "Do you have a death wish or something? You already got possessed by one demon, and now you're going up against another one?"

"I need to cross over," Tai replied with determination. "I need to get into the physical realm, no matter what."

"But _why?!"_

"Because if I go there, I get my form back. The fucker that stole it from me gets banished back to this realm. And I am just petty enough that I'd risk dying in order to take the thing he wants most away from him."

Whatever the others thought about Tai's reasoning, Estelle could get behind some good old fashioned revenge. Besides, it's not like they had any better plans. Feeling a new level of solidarity with the junimo, she smiled, nodding decisively.

"Okay, I'm in."

* * *

 _Slimes. They were just slimes,_ Natalie repeated over and over as she made her way back to the wizard's tower.

 _A fucking slime isn't going to take him out._

 _The headline would be too ridiculous to print. 'Dumbass local boy killed by common slime.'_

For once, her coping mechanism of mocking everything wasn't making her feel any better about the situation. She was alone, pushing her comatose sister through the creepy, dark woods towards a magic tower, while her boyfriend was fighting actual fucking monsters. A boyfriend she'd abandoned to save her own ass.

It didn't matter that he told her to, or that she needed to get Estelle to safety. She still left him. The truth of that was eating her alive, and no amount of telling herself he was okay would make her feel better until she verified it with her own eyes.

But first, Estelle.

Hyper-aware of her surroundings, Natalie booked it to the wizard's tower as quickly as she could, considering the wheelchair Estelle was strapped to wasn't built for off-roading through the woods. More than once she swore she heard something behind her, but when she turned to look nothing was there. Brushing it off to creepy magic shit and nerves, the journey was otherwise blissfully uneventful.

She paused in front of the tower, eyeing the steps doubtfully. Well, shit. How was she supposed to get Estelle up there now?

"May I assist?" a voice murmured in her ear.

Natalie shrieked, the wheelchair nearly toppling over as she jumped half out of her skin. Whirling around, her panic quickly turned to irritation as she recognized the old man.

"For fuck's sake Linus, you can't sneak up on people like that!" she snapped, holding one hand over her chest as her breathing slowed back down. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Linus looked genuinely repentant. "I apologize. It seems my social graces have begun to suffer from so much time alone."

"I'll say," she muttered. "Alright well, grab one side – we'll lift on the count of three."

Linus chuckled and shook his head. "If you don't mind, I'd rather avoid the heavy lifting," he said, pressing his palm against the bottom step. Though she'd watched him use magic in the square, it still freaked her out a little when the stone started to melt under his touch, smoothing itself out to form a ramp up to the tower.

"Well that's handy," she quipped, attempting to hide her discomfort. Linus simply nodded, and they walked up to the tower together.

The wizard didn't look up as they entered, head bowed in concentration as he worked to maintain the portal Sebastian had used. Natalie could see sweat beading on his hairline, the way his hands were starting to tremble with effort. It worried her – what if he couldn't hold out long enough for Seb and Estelle to get back?

"Maintaining a connection to the spirit realm takes a toll on the body," Linus explained softly, following her gaze to the wizard. "But Rasmodius is a wizard of no small power. He won't fail you."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," Rasmodius said wryly, cheeks puffing as he blew out a long breath. "Move the girl over here. Her return will be less painful if she's in the circle."

Natalie did as she was told, unstrapping Estelle from the wheelchair and dragging her by her armpits towards the circle.

"Damn girl, go on a diet would you?" she grunted, nearly falling down herself as she lay Estelle's body next to Sebastian's. She stared down at the two of them for a moment, an odd little smile on her face, then bent down to clasp their hands together. Maybe the journey back would be easier if they held each other through it.

Stepping backwards out of the circle, Natalie looked up to ask Linus a question – and gasped.

A new portal had appeared in the far corner of the room, shimmering with the same energy as the one the wizard had summoned, and Natalie watched with trepidation as a long, pale leg stepped out.

"Rasmodius!" Linus barked, ducking to the floor and pressing his hands against it, as if to call upon the earth once again.

Natalie didn't need an introduction to know that the woman who exited was the one who kidnapped Estelle. Aside from the whole magic portal thing, this chick just screamed evil witch, from the long raven hair to the feral grin stretched across her face.

"Now now, none of that," she chastised lightly, sweeping an arm in Linus' direction. A gust of wind shot out from her, flinging him against the wall and pinning him there.

"And here I thought we were friends," she pouted, twisting her wrist until Linus cried out in pain.

"Victoria, that's enough!" Rasmodius bellowed, turning his attention from the portal to face her. It dimmed slightly, but held steady _._

Victoria's smile grew even wider, if that was at all possible. "Hi honey. It's been a while," she said, voice low and seductive.

The moment the last syllable left her lips, her face twisted into a snarl, a bolt of raw power shooting out from her hands towards the wizard. He raised his arms and it shattered as if hitting a shield, sparks flying out in every direction. The force dissipated into the air, charging it like the feeling right before a storm, and Natalie shivered against the power running along her skin.

The wizard countered, his baritone voice rumbling with an incantation that caused jagged purple spikes to shoot out of the ground around her, one after another in rapid succession. The witch laughed and danced around them, her movements fluid and inhumanly graceful, before raising her arms and pushing them down violently. Natalie felt the air pressure rise instantaneously, shoving her to the floor, crushing her – and then it dropped just as suddenly as the wizard neutralized the spell.

As they continued in a deadly back and forth, Natalie glanced over at the portal. It was flickering wildly, barely visible now, and she knew that it was only moments from going out entirely, trapping her friends.

There was no fucking way she was letting that happen.

The witch was too caught up in her magical duel with Rasmodius to notice her, and Natalie took advantage of that fact, sneaking around the perimeter of the room. She didn't have a plan, just knew she had to do _something –_ and when her eyes landed on a large wooden staff in the corner, she decided to go with the most obvious, decidedly non-magical action she could take. She grabbed it and charged, swinging the heavy branch overhead like it was a goddamn battle axe.

She was so close, too.

The witch held her hand up at the last moment, deflecting the attack and suspending Natalie in the air. A chill went down Natalie's spine as Victoria narrowed unnaturally dark eyes at her, tilting her head slightly with curiosity. It looked like she was examining an interesting bug before squashing it, and Natalie's stomach flipped when she realized that's exactly what she was doing.

Victoria smiled as the air was ripped from Natalie's lungs, and no matter how hard she struggled, there was none left to replace it. Vision darkening, she rolled her watery eyes towards the portal – and watched it blink out of existence as the darkness finally claimed her.

* * *

Sam's head shot up as a loud crash reverberated throughout the town square, followed by the telltale sound of an explosion going off. There was no other explanation, no lie he could tell himself to make things seem less dire. The barrier had fallen, the dwarf had begun lobbing her grenades, and now it was time to fight for their lives.

Taking a deep breath to avoid hyperventilating, Sam rounded the corner into the square.

He was greeted with chaos. Half a dozen monsters were sprawled out on the ground, knocked back from the explosion, but even more were crawling over the smoldering rubble, scattering in various directions. Some of them went for the dwarf, who was lighting another, larger bomb to throw. A handful ran south, others west towards the farm...but Sam only had eyes for the 2 shadows that broke off from the pack, headed straight for the community center.

Towards his family.

Tightening his grip on the bat, Sam sprinted across the square and past the rift, which was still bleeding monsters every few seconds into the crumbled remains of Linus' rock wall. A blue slime leapt at him and he dodged easily, slamming his foot down onto the creature with a sickening squish.

His instinctive revulsion at being responsible for the death of a living creature – even just a damn slime – was immediately overshadowed by a shout from across the square. His eyes landed on Elliot's form just as a short, helmeted creature crashed into the writer, sending him sprawling awkwardly across the pavement. The flashing light from the portal was more than enough to illuminate the sickening pattern his blood made on the pavement as his head smashed into it.

There was nothing Sam could do – it was happening too fast, he was too far, whatever excuse his brain could give for doing nothing but reaching a hand out in futility as the monster closed in again.

"Get outta my damn town!" Willy yelled as he came onto the scene out of seemingly nowhere, wielding a fishing spear like he was fucking Aquaman. Sam watched dumbfounded as the grizzled old man slammed his weapon into the creature with a solid thwack, knocking it off balance, before spinning the spear around to finish it off with the pointy end.

The dwarf started yelling as Willy knelt down to tend to Elliot, catching Sam's attention. He didn't know what what she was saying, but as she held a lit bomb above her head the point became clear – _get the fuck out of the way._ Sam ripped his foot out of the mass of jelly he was still standing in, nearly losing his sneaker in the process, and skidded behind a stack of crates lined up along the back wall of the saloon. He barely had time to duck before the deafening roar of gunpowder combusting hit him, and his senses were dulled to a tinny, buzzing sound in his ears, smoke and dust obscuring his vision.

Shaking his head to clear as much he could, Sam took off for the community center once more. For as much as the explosion had disoriented him, it had decimated the shadows in the vicinity, leaving only writhing heaps of black in its wake. Confident the dwarf had his back, at least for now, Sam held his bat high and rushed the two shadows ahead of him, swinging hard with a war cry that would have made his dad proud.

The force of the impact knocked the first shadow into the second, flinging them both to the ground with a loud thump. Sam raised his bat again, smashing it down with all the strength he could muster, until the wriggling beneath him stopped. Breathing heavily with adrenaline and exertion, he sidestepped the bodies and trudged up the path to the community center, feeling oddly numb after everything he had seen.

It was smart of them to use the community center as a safe house, a weird, rational part of his brain thought as he approached. It was large enough to fit the whole village, only had one door, and the windows were already boarded up. Sam raised a fist to knock when the door suddenly swung open, Shane barreling into him in his haste to get out.

"Whoa, dude!" Sam complained, hitting the ground hard. Shane stumbled, nearly falling on top of him, but he caught himself at the last minute, scrambling to his feet with a haste that Sam had never before attributed to the lazy drunk.

"Sammy?!" a familiar voice called from inside the building, and before he'd fully registered what was happening his face was pressed fiercely against his mother's shoulder, her hot tears already dampening his hair.

His arms moved to return her embrace, but she pulled back just as quickly, expression contorted with anguish as she met his eyes.

"Vincent is gone," she choked out between ragged breaths, "he was playing with Jas when I turned away for one second and now they're...I have to go find them!"

Jodi was already on her feet and moving to follow Shane when Sam grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her once, hard enough to cut through the panic and make her focus on him.

"Stay here," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. There was no fucking way he was letting his mom go out there after what he just saw happen to Elliot. "I'll find Vince."

She stared at him for a heartbeat, wide, watery eyes full of uncertainty and terror. Something in his steady gaze must have resonated with her, however, because a moment later she nodded sharply, lips pressed into a thin line of resignation.

"I know you will."

He shot her a quick smile, one he hoped looked confident and reassuring, before taking off to catch up with Shane. If Vince was with Jas, that explained the man's sudden burst of single-minded determination. He was an unrepentant asshole, but he loved that little girl – and more importantly, he might know where they went.

"Hey!" Sam called breathlessly, winded from putting in more cardio than he had since high school. "Any idea where the kids snuck off to?"

Shane's rapid steps faltered slightly, his intense frown deepening. "How the fuck should I know?" he growled, roughly shoving his fingers through his hair in frustration. "They both knew to stay put, knew anyone outside the building was in...danger..." he trailed off.

"What? What is it?" Sam asked anxiously, watching the gears turn in Shane's head as his eyes widened with realization.

"...the chickens. The _fucking chickens!"_ he spat through clenched teeth, abruptly changing course. "Jazzy was so worried about the...look out!"

He shoved Sam just in time to avoid a ball of green fire hurtling towards him, the shadow that threw it already rubbing its hands together in preparation of another attack. Sam caught Shane's eye, an unspoken agreement passing between them before they both took off as fast as they could, magical heat nipping at their heels.

"You're pretty quick for a fat guy," Sam quipped as they rounded Emily's house, some part deep inside him needing the humor just to cope. He felt like if he didn't laugh he was going puke or go straight catatonic, and they didn't have time for his weakness.

Shane apparently felt the same, because for the first time Sam could ever remember, he got a smirk out of the man. "Varsity gridball. Defensive line," he huffed out.

"Yeah? Ever play against Alex?"

"I'd have fucking flattened Alex."

Sam grinned at that, a manic little smile brought on more from stress and shock than from the conversation, but it was enough to keep him sane while they hauled ass down the path to Marnie's ranch. Somehow the oppressive smell of cow shit that flooded his nose as they approached was comforting in its normalcy, pungent enough to chase away the burn of gunpowder still clinging to his nostrils. It was quiet this far out, away from the monsters and rubble and blood-splattered cobblestone, away from the unknown horror hanging in the sky.

And then a shrill scream broke through the silence, twisting Sam's guts so hard he felt like they were being ripped out of him.

"JAS!" Shane roared, all of the blood draining from his face in an instant. He bolted for the fence, planting his hands on the top rung and leaping over. Sam followed, catching up as Shane nearly ripped the barn door off its hinges.

Something in him broke as his eyes landed on his brother, hovering protectively over Jas. Vince's round little face was hard and cold, his slingshot aimed squarely at the slime advancing towards them, so focused on his target he didn't seem to notice they were no longer alone. Like a tiny soldier, ready to fight.

He should be proud, he supposed. Relieved Vince was okay. He _was_ proud and relieved. But he couldn't reconcile those feelings with the utter despair of seeing his baby brother's innocence ripped away. He was so young, and it just… it wasn't fair.

This was all so fucked up.

Sam swallowed hard, shoving down the pain and focusing on the present. Shane didn't seem to have the same hangup as him, wasting no time in yanking a scythe from the wall and dispatching the slime in one deft swing. Jas choked out a sob as he dropped the weapon and scooped her up, a peeping blue chick nestled in her arms.

Sam took a step towards Vince, but stopped short when a soft swooshing noise reached his ears. He'd heard that sound before, hadn't he? When the rift…

"Fuck," Shane muttered, summing their situation up perfectly as he gently set Jas back down and maneuvered her behind him. Sam tore his eyes away from the swarm of approaching shadows to level a resolute look at his brother.

"Stay with Jas, and stay behind us," he said sharply, tone more serious than he'd ever been with the boy before. "And if we get hurt, you two run to Mom as fast as you can. Don't stop running, and don't look back. Got it?"

Vince nodded, eyes wide and fearful but full of a determination far beyond his years, and Sam gave his shoulder a light squeeze as he pushed him back. Taking a deep breath, his gaze flicked to Shane for half a second, seeing the same expression on the man's face as he was sure was on his.

They were going to die tonight. But those kids were getting out first.


End file.
